BlackRock Science and Technology Trust II

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this form are offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan, check the following box. ☐

THE REGISTRANT HEREBY AMENDS THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON SUCH DATE OR DATES AS MAY BE NECESSARY TO DELAY ITS EFFECTIVE DATE UNTIL THE REGISTRANT SHALL FILE A FURTHER AMENDMENT WHICH SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL THEREAFTER BECOME EFFECTIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 8(a) OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 OR UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE ON SUCH DATES AS THE COMMISSION, ACTING PURSUANT TO SAID SECTION 8(a), MAY DETERMINE.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Investment Objectives. BlackRock Health Sciences Trust II (the “Trust”) is a newly-organized, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with no operating history. The Trust’s investment objectives are to provide total return and income through a combination of current income, current gains and long-term capital appreciation. There can be no assurance that the Trust’s investment objectives will be achieved or that the Trust’s investment program will be successful.

Investment Advisor. The Trust’s investment adviser is BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Advisor”).

Investment Strategy. Under normal market conditions, the Trust will invest at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities of companies engaged in the health sciences and related industries and equity derivatives with exposure to the health sciences industry.

As part of its investment strategy, the Trust intends to employ a strategy of writing (selling) covered call options on a portion of the common stocks in its portfolio, writing (selling) other call and put options on individual common stocks, and, to a lesser extent, writing (selling) call and put options on indices of securities and sectors of securities. This options writing strategy is intended to generate current gains from options premiums and to enhance the Trust’s risk-adjusted returns.

The Trust may invest up to 20% of its total assets in other investments, including equity securities issued by companies that are not engaged in the health sciences and related industries and debt securities issued by any issuer, including non-investment grade debt securities. The Trust’s investments in non-investment grade securities and those deemed to be of similar quality are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal and are commonly referred to as “junk” or “high yield” securities. See “Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.”

The Trust’s common shares of beneficial interest (the “common shares”) are expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, subject to notice of issuance, under the symbol “[●].”

No Prior History. Because the Trust is newly organized, its common shares have no history of public trading. Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value. The risk of loss due to this discount may be greater for investors expecting to sell their shares in a relatively short period after completion of the public offering.

Investing in the Trust’s common shares involves certain risks that are described in the “Risks” section beginning on page 65 of this prospectus. Certain of these risks are summarized in “Prospectus Summary—Special Risk Considerations” beginning on page 12.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the common shares to purchasers on or about [●], 2019.

Investment Strategy (continued). Companies in the health sciences industry include health care providers as well as businesses involved in researching, developing, producing, distributing or delivering medical, dental, optical, pharmaceutical or biotechnology products, supplies, equipment or services or that provide support services to these companies. These companies also include those that own or operate health facilities and hospitals or provide related administrative, management or financial support. Other health sciences industries in which the Trust may invest include: clinical testing laboratories; diagnostics; hospital, laboratory or physician ancillary products and support services; rehabilitation services; employer health insurance management services; and vendors of goods and services specifically to companies engaged in the health sciences. The Advisor determines, in its discretion, whether a company is engaged in the health sciences and related industries.

While the Trust will invest primarily in companies providing products and services for human health, it may also invest in companies whose products or services relate to the growth or survival of animals and plants. Non-human health sciences industries include companies engaged in the development, production or distribution of products or services that: increase crop, animal and animal product yields by enhancing growth or increasing disease resistance; improve agricultural product characteristics, such as taste, appearance, nutritional content and shelf life; reduce the cost of producing agricultural products; or improve pet health.

The Trust will consider a company to be principally engaged in a health sciences or related industry if 50% or more of its revenues are derived from, or 50% or more of its assets are related to, its health sciences business. The Trust will concentrate its investments in the health sciences industry.

The Trust may invest in companies of any market capitalization located anywhere in the world, including companies located in emerging markets. The Trust will focus its investments in mid- and small-capitalization companies. Foreign securities in which the Trust may invest may be U.S. dollar-denominated or non-U.S. dollar-denominated.

Equity securities in which the Trust anticipates investing include common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, warrants, depositary receipts and equity interests in real estate investment trusts that own hospitals. The Trust may invest in shares of companies through initial public offerings (“IPOs”). The Trust may also invest, without limit, in privately placed or restricted securities (including in Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities purchased by qualified institutional buyers), illiquid securities and securities in which no secondary market is readily available, including those of private companies. Issuers of these securities may not have a class of securities registered, and may not be subject to periodic reporting, pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Under normal market conditions, the Trust currently intends to invest up to 25% of its total assets, measured at the time of investment, in such securities. The Trust expects certain of such investments to be in “pre-IPO securities,” which are securities of new and early stage companies, often funded by venture capital, whose securities have not been offered to the public and are not publicly traded.

Over time, as the Trust writes covered call options over more of its portfolio, its ability to benefit from capital appreciation on the underlying securities may become more limited, and the Trust will lose money to the extent that it writes covered call options and the securities on which it writes these options appreciate above the exercise price of the option. Therefore, over time, the Advisor may choose to decrease its use of a covered call options writing strategy to the extent that it may negatively impact the Trust’s ability to benefit from capital appreciation.

Leverage. The Trust currently does not intend to borrow money or issue debt securities or preferred shares. The Trust is, however, permitted to borrow money or issue debt securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its Managed Assets (50% of its net assets), and issue preferred shares in an amount up to 50% of its Managed Assets (100% of its net assets). “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Trust (including any assets attributable to money borrowed for investment purposes) minus the sum of the Trust’s accrued liabilities (other than money borrowed for investment purposes). Although it has no present intention to do so, the Trust reserves the right to borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, or issue debt securities or preferred shares, in the future if it believes that market conditions would be conducive to the successful implementation of a leveraging strategy through borrowing money or issuing debt securities or preferred shares. See “Leverage.”

The use of leverage, if employed, is subject to numerous risks. When leverage is employed, the Trust’s net asset value (“NAV”), the market price of the Trust’s common shares and the yield to holders of the Trust’s common shares will be more volatile than if leverage was not used. For example, a rise in short-term interest rates, which currently are near historically low levels, generally will cause the Trust’s NAV to decline more than if the Trust had not used leverage. A reduction in the Trust’s NAV may cause a reduction in the market price of the Trust’s common shares. The Trust cannot assure you that the use of leverage will result in a higher yield on the Trust’s common shares. Any leveraging strategy the Trust may employ may not be successful. See “Risks—Leverage Risk.”

Limited Term and Eligible Tender Offer. In accordance with the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, the Trust intends to dissolve as of the first business day following the twelfth anniversary of the effective date of the Trust’s initial registration statement, which the Trust currently expects to occur on or about [●] (the “Dissolution Date”); provided that the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) may, by a vote of a majority of the Board and seventy-five percent (75%) of the Continuing Trustees, as defined below (a “Board Action Vote”), without shareholder approval, extend the Dissolution Date: (i) once for up to one year, and (ii) once for up to an additional six months, to a date up to and including eighteen months after the initial Dissolution Date (which date shall then become the Dissolution Date). Each holder of common shares would be paid a pro rata portion of the Trust’s net assets upon dissolution of the Trust. The Board may, by a Board Action Vote, cause the Trust to conduct a tender offer, as of a date within twelve months preceding the Dissolution Date (as may be extended as described above), to all common shareholders to purchase 100% of the then outstanding common shares of the Trust at a price equal to the NAV per common share on the expiration date of the tender offer (an “Eligible Tender Offer”). The Board has established that the Trust must have at least $200 million of aggregate net assets immediately following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer to ensure the continued viability of the Trust (the “Dissolution Threshold”). In an Eligible Tender Offer, the Trust will offer to purchase all common shares held by each common shareholder; provided that if the payment for properly tendered common shares would result in the Trust having aggregate net assets below the Dissolution Threshold, the Eligible Tender Offer will be canceled, no common shares will be repurchased and the Trust will dissolve as scheduled. If an Eligible Tender Offer is conducted and the payment for properly tendered common shares would result in the Trust having aggregate net assets greater than or equal to the Dissolution Threshold, all common shares properly tendered and not withdrawn will be purchased by the Trust pursuant to the terms of the Eligible Tender Offer. Following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer, the Board may, by a Board Action Vote, eliminate the Dissolution Date without shareholder approval and provide for the Trust’s perpetual existence. There is no guarantee that the Board will eliminate the Dissolution Date following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer. The Board may, to the extent it deems appropriate and without shareholder approval, adopt a plan of liquidation at any time preceding the anticipated Dissolution Date, which plan of liquidation may set forth the terms and conditions for implementing the termination of the Trust’s existence, including the commencement of the winding down of its investment operations and the making of one or more liquidating distributions to common shareholders prior to the Dissolution Date. The Trust is not a so called “target date” or “life cycle” fund whose asset allocation becomes more conservative over time as its target date, often associated with retirement, approaches. In addition, the Trust is not a “target term” fund and thus does not seek to return the Trust’s initial public offering price per common share upon dissolution of the Trust or in an Eligible Tender Offer. The final distribution of net assets per common share upon dissolution or the price per common share in an Eligible Tender Offer may be more than, equal to or less than the initial public offering price per common share.

You should read this prospectus, which concisely sets forth information about the Trust, before deciding whether to invest in the common shares and retain it for future reference. A Statement of Additional Information, dated [●], 2019 containing additional information about the Trust (the “SAI”), has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and, as amended from time to time, is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this prospectus. You can review the table of contents for the SAI on page [●] of this prospectus. You may request a free copy of the SAI by calling (800) 882-0052 or by writing to the Trust. You can get the same information for free from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (http://www.sec.gov). You may also e-mail requests for these documents to publicinfo@sec.gov. The Trust does not post a copy of the SAI on its website because the Trust’s common shares are not continuously offered, which means the SAI will not be updated after the completion of this offering and the information contained in the SAI will become outdated. In addition, you may request copies of the Trust’s semi-annual and annual reports or other information about the Trust or make shareholder inquiries by calling (800) 882-0052. The Trust’s annual and semi-annual reports, when produced, will be available on the Trust’s website (http://www.blackrock.com) free of charge. Information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Trust’s website is not part of this prospectus.

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Trust’s shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from BlackRock or from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you hold accounts directly with BlackRock, you can call (800) 882-0052 to request that you continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. If you hold accounts through a financial intermediary, you can follow the instructions included with this disclosure, if applicable, or contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. Please note that not all financial intermediaries may offer this service. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds advised by BlackRock Advisors, LLC or its affiliates, or all funds held with your financial intermediary, as applicable.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive electronic delivery of shareholder reports and other communications by contacting your financial intermediary, if you hold accounts through a financial intermediary. Please note that not all financial intermediaries may offer this service.

You should not construe the contents of this prospectus as legal, tax or financial advice. You should consult with your own professional advisors as to the legal, tax, financial or other matters relevant to the suitability of an investment in the Trust.

The Trust’s common shares do not represent a deposit or an obligation of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or other insured depository institution, and are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The Trust has not, and the underwriters have not, authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. The Trust is not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus. The Trust’s business, financial condition and prospects may have changed since that date.

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This is only a summary of certain information contained in this prospectus relating to BlackRock Health Sciences Trust II. This summary may not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our common shares. You should review the more detailed information contained in this prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”).


The Trust		BlackRock Health Sciences Trust II is a newly organized, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with no operating history. Throughout this prospectus, we refer to BlackRock Health Sciences Trust II simply as the “Trust” or as “we,” “us” or “our.” See “The Trust.”

The Offering		The Trust is offering [●] common shares of beneficial interest at $[●] per share through a group of underwriters (the “Underwriters”) led by [●]. The common shares of beneficial interest are called “common shares” in the rest of this prospectus. You must purchase at least [100] common shares ($[●]) in order to participate in this offering. The Trust has given the Underwriters an option to purchase up to [●] additional common shares within [●] days of the date of this prospectus solely to cover over-allotments, if any. See “Underwriters.” BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Advisor”), the Trust’s investment adviser, has agreed to pay compensation of $[●] per common share to the Underwriters in connection with the offering. The Advisor also has agreed to pay all of the Trust’s organizational expenses and all offering costs associated with this offering. The Trust is not obligated to repay any such organizational expenses or offering costs paid by the Advisor.

Limited Term and Eligible Tender Offer		In accordance with the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, dated August 14, 2019 as amended from time to time (the “Agreement and Declaration of Trust”), the Trust intends to dissolve as of the first business day following the twelfth anniversary of the effective date of the Trust’s initial registration statement, which the Trust currently expects to occur on or about [●] (the “Dissolution Date”); provided that the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board,” and the members thereof, “Trustees”) may, by a vote of a majority of the Board and seventy-five percent (75%) of the members of the Board who either (i) have been a member of the Board for a period of at least thirty-six months (or since the commencement of the Trust’s operations, if less than thirty-six months) or (ii) were nominated to serve as a member of the Board by a majority of the Continuing Trustees then members of the Board (the “Continuing Trustees”) (a “Board Action Vote”), without shareholder approval, extend the Dissolution Date: (i) once for up to one year, and (ii) once for up to an additional six months, to a date up to and including eighteen months after the initial Dissolution Date (which date shall then become the Dissolution Date). In determining whether to extend the Dissolution Date, the Board may consider the inability to sell the Trust’s assets in a time frame consistent with dissolution due to lack of market liquidity or other extenuating circumstances. Additionally, the Board may determine that market conditions are such that it is reasonable to believe that, with an extension, the Trust’s remaining assets will appreciate and generate capital


		appreciation and income in an amount that, in the aggregate, is meaningful relative to the cost and expense of continuing the operation of the Trust. Each holder of common shares would be paid a pro rata portion of the Trust’s net assets upon dissolution of the Trust.

		Beginning one year before the Dissolution Date (the “Wind-Down Period”), the Trust may begin liquidating all or a portion of the Trust’s portfolio, and may deviate from its investment policies and may not achieve its investment objectives. During the Wind-Down Period (or in anticipation of an Eligible Tender Offer, as defined below), the Trust’s portfolio composition may change as more of its portfolio holdings are called or sold and portfolio holdings are disposed of in anticipation of liquidation.

		As of a date within twelve months preceding the Dissolution Date (as may be extended as described above), the Board may, by a Board Action Vote, cause the Trust to conduct a tender offer to all common shareholders to purchase 100% of the then outstanding common shares of the Trust at a price equal to the net asset value (“NAV”) per common share on the expiration date of the tender offer (an “Eligible Tender Offer”). The Board has established that the Trust must have at least $200 million of aggregate net assets immediately following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer to ensure the continued viability of the Trust (the “Dissolution Threshold”). In an Eligible Tender Offer, the Trust will offer to purchase all common shares held by each common shareholder; provided that if the payment for properly tendered common shares would result in the Trust having aggregate net assets below the Dissolution Threshold, the Eligible Tender Offer will be canceled and no common shares will be repurchased pursuant to the Eligible Tender Offer. Instead, the Trust will begin (or continue) liquidating its portfolio and proceed to dissolve on or about the Dissolution Date. Regardless of whether the Eligible Tender Offer is completed or canceled, the Advisor will pay all costs and expenses associated with the making of an Eligible Tender Offer, other than brokerage and related transaction costs associated with the disposition of portfolio investments in connection with the Eligible Tender Offer, which will be borne by the Trust and its common shareholders. The Eligible Tender Offer would be made, and common shareholders would be notified thereof, in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the applicable tender offer rules thereunder (including Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E under the Exchange Act). If the payment for properly tendered common shares would result in the Trust having aggregate net assets greater than or equal to the Dissolution Threshold, all common shares properly tendered and not withdrawn will be purchased by the Trust pursuant to the terms of the Eligible Tender Offer. The Trust’s purchase of tendered common shares pursuant to a tender offer will have tax consequences for tendering common shareholders and may have tax consequences for non-tendering common shareholders. In addition, the Trust would continue to be subject to its obligations with respect to its issued and outstanding borrowings, preferred


		stock or debt securities, if any. An Eligible Tender Offer may be commenced upon approval of the Board, without a shareholder vote. The Trust is not required to conduct an Eligible Tender Offer. If no Eligible Tender Offer is conducted, the Trust will dissolve on the Dissolution Date (subject to extension as described above), unless the limited term provisions of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust are amended with the vote of shareholders.

		Following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer, the Board may, by a Board Action Vote, eliminate the Dissolution Date without shareholder approval and provide for the Trust’s perpetual existence. In determining whether to eliminate the Dissolution Date, the Board may consider market conditions at such time and all other factors deemed relevant by the Board in consultation with the Advisor, taking into account that the Advisor may have a potential conflict of interest in recommending to the Board that the limited term structure be eliminated and the Trust have a perpetual existence. In making a decision to eliminate the Dissolution Date to provide for the Trust’s perpetual existence, the Board will take such actions with respect to the continued operations of the Trust as it deems to be in the best interests of the Trust. The Trust is not required to conduct additional tender offers following an Eligible Tender Offer and conversion to a perpetual structure. Therefore, remaining common shareholders may not have another opportunity to participate in a tender offer or exchange their common shares for the then-existing NAV per share. There is no guarantee that the Board will eliminate the Dissolution Date following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer so that the Trust will have a perpetual existence.

		All common shareholders remaining after a tender offer will be subject to proportionately higher expenses due to the reduction in the Trust’s assets resulting from payment for the tendered common shares. A reduction in assets, and the corresponding increase in the Trust’s expense ratio, could result in lower returns and put the Trust at a disadvantage relative to its peers and potentially cause the Trust’s common shares to trade at a wider discount to NAV than it otherwise would. Such reduction in the Trust’s assets may also result in less investment flexibility, reduced diversification and greater volatility for the Trust, and may have an adverse effect on the Trust’s investment performance. Moreover, the resulting reduction in the number of outstanding common shares could cause the common shares to become more thinly traded or otherwise adversely impact the secondary market trading of such common shares.

		The Board may, to the extent it deems appropriate and without shareholder approval, adopt a plan of liquidation at any time preceding the anticipated Dissolution Date, which plan of liquidation may set forth the terms and conditions for implementing the termination of the Trust’s existence, including the commencement of the winding down of its investment operations and the making of one or more liquidating distributions to common shareholders prior to the Dissolution Date. The Trust retains broad flexibility to liquidate its portfolio, wind up its business and make liquidating distributions to common shareholders in a manner and on a schedule it believes will best contribute to the achievement of its investment objectives.


		Following a liquidation of substantially all of its portfolio and the distribution of the net proceeds thereof to the shareholders, the Trust may continue in existence to pay, satisfy, and discharge any existing debts or obligations, collect and distribute any remaining net assets to the shareholders, and do all other acts required to liquidate and wind up its business and affairs. As soon as practicable after the Dissolution Date, the Trust will complete the liquidation of its portfolio (to the extent possible and not already liquidated), retire or redeem its leverage facilities, if any (to the extent not already retired or redeemed), distribute all of its liquidated net assets to its common shareholders (to the extent not already distributed) and terminate its existence under Maryland law.

		Although it is anticipated that the Trust will have distributed substantially all of its net assets to shareholders as soon as practicable after the Dissolution Date, securities for which no market exists or securities trading at depressed prices, if any, may be placed in a liquidating trust. Securities placed in a liquidating trust may be held for an indefinite period of time, potentially several years or longer, until they can be sold or pay out all of their cash flows. During such time, the shareholders will continue to be exposed to the risks associated with the Trust and the value of their interest in the liquidating trust will fluctuate with the value of the liquidating trust’s remaining assets. To the extent the costs associated with a liquidating trust exceed the value of the remaining securities, the liquidating trust trustees may determine to dispose of the remaining securities in a manner of their choosing. The Trust cannot predict the amount, if any, of securities that will be required to be placed in a liquidating trust or how long it will take to sell or otherwise dispose of such securities.

		The Trust is not a so called “target date” or “life cycle” fund whose asset allocation becomes more conservative over time as its target date, often associated with retirement, approaches. In addition, the Trust is not a “target term” fund whose investment objective is to return its original NAV on the Dissolution Date or in an Eligible Tender Offer. The final distribution of net assets per common share upon dissolution or the price per common share in an Eligible Tender Offer may be more than, equal to or less than the initial public offering price per common share.

Investment Objectives		The Trust’s investment objectives are to provide total return and income through a combination of current income, current gains and long-term capital appreciation. The Trust is not intended as, and you should not construe it to be, a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Trust’s investment objectives will be achieved or that the Trust’s investment program will be successful. The Trust’s investment objectives may be changed by the Trust’s Board without prior shareholder approval.


Investment Strategy		BlackRock Advisors, LLC will be the Trust’s investment adviser.

		The Advisor believes that the knowledge and experience of its Health Sciences Team enable it to evaluate the macro environment and assess its impact on the various sub-sectors within the health sciences industry. Within this framework, the Advisor identifies stocks with attractive characteristics, evaluates the use of options and provides ongoing portfolio risk management.

		The top-down or macro component of the investment process is designed to assess the various interrelated macro variables affecting the health sciences industry as a whole. The Advisor evaluates health sciences sub-sectors (i.e., pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare services, etc.).

		Selection of sub-sectors within the health sciences industry is a result of both the Advisor’s sub-sector analysis, as well as the Advisor’s bottom-up fundamental company analysis. Risk/reward analysis is a key component of both top-down and bottom-up analysis.

		Bottom-up security selection is focused on identifying companies with the most attractive characteristics within each sub-sector of the health sciences industry. The Advisor seeks to identify companies with strong product potential, solid earnings growth and/or earnings power which are under appreciated by investors, a quality management team and compelling relative and absolute valuation. The Advisor believes that the knowledge and experience of its Health Sciences Team enables it to identify attractive health sciences securities.

		The Advisor intends to utilize option strategies that consist of writing (selling) covered call options on a portion of the common stocks in the Trust, as well as other option strategies such as writing other calls and puts or using options to manage risk. The portfolio management team will work closely to determine which option strategies to pursue to seek to generate current gains from options premiums and to enhance the Trust’s risk-adjusted returns.

Investment Policies		Under normal market conditions, the Trust will invest at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities of companies engaged in the health sciences and related industries and equity derivatives with exposure to the health sciences industry. Equity derivatives in which the Trust invests as part of this non-fundamental investment policy include purchased and sold (written) call and put options on equity securities of companies in the health sciences and related industries.

		Companies in the health sciences industry include health care providers as well as businesses involved in researching, developing, producing, distributing or delivering medical, dental, optical, pharmaceutical or biotechnology products, supplies, equipment or services or that provide support services to these companies. These companies also include those that own or operate health facilities and hospitals or provide related


		administrative, management or financial support. Other health sciences industries in which the Trust may invest include: clinical testing laboratories; diagnostics; hospital, laboratory or physician ancillary products and support services; rehabilitation services; employer health insurance management services; and vendors of goods and services specifically to companies engaged in the health sciences. The Advisor determines, in its discretion, whether a company is engaged in the health sciences and related industries.

		While the Trust will invest primarily in companies providing products and services for human health, it may also invest in companies whose products or services relate to the growth or survival of animals and plants. Non-human health sciences industries include companies engaged in the development, production or distribution of products or services that: increase crop, animal and animal product yields by enhancing growth or increasing disease resistance; improve agricultural product characteristics, such as taste, appearance, nutritional content and shelf life; reduce the cost of producing agricultural products; or improve pet health.

		The Trust will consider a company to be principally engaged in a health sciences or related industry if 50% or more of its revenues are derived from, or 50% or more of its assets are related to, its health sciences business. The Trust will concentrate its investments in the health sciences industry. The Trust may invest in companies of any market capitalization located anywhere in the world, including companies located in emerging markets. The Trust will focus its investments in mid- and small-capitalization companies. Foreign securities in which the Trust may invest may be U.S. dollar-denominated or non-U.S. dollar-denominated.

		Equity securities in which the Trust anticipates investing include common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, warrants, depository receipts and equity interests in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) that own hospitals.

		The Trust may invest in shares of companies through initial public offerings (“IPOs”). The Trust may also invest, without limit, in privately placed or restricted securities (including in Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities purchased by qualified institutional buyers), illiquid securities and securities in which no secondary market is readily available, including those of private companies. Issuers of these securities may not have a class of securities registered, and may not be subject to periodic reporting, pursuant to the Exchange Act. Under normal market conditions, the Trust currently intends to invest up to 25% of its total assets, measured at the time of investment, in such securities. The Trust expects certain of such investments to be in “pre-IPO securities,” which are securities of new and early stage companies, often funded by venture capital, whose securities have not been offered to the public and are not publicly traded.


		The Trust may invest up to 20% of its total assets in other investments, including equity securities issued by companies that are not engaged in the health sciences and related industries and debt securities issued by any issuer, including non-investment grade debt securities. The Trust’s investments in non-investment grade securities and those deemed to be of similar quality are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal and are commonly referred to as “junk” or “high yield” securities. The Trust has no set policy regarding portfolio maturity or duration of the fixed-income securities it may hold, and such securities may be of any maturity.

		*Options Writing Strategy*. As part of its investment strategy, the Trust intends to employ a strategy of writing (selling) covered call options on a portion of the common stocks in its portfolio, writing (selling) other call and put options on individual common stocks, and, to a lesser extent, writing (selling) call and put options on indices of securities and sectors of securities (collectively referred to as “index options”). This options writing strategy is intended to generate current gains from options premiums and to enhance the Trust’s risk-adjusted returns. A substantial portion of the options written by the Trust may be over-the-counter options (“OTC options”).

		A call option written by the Trust on a security is considered a covered call option where the Trust owns the security underlying the call option. Unlike a written covered call option, other written options will not provide the Trust with any potential appreciation on an underlying security to offset any loss the Trust may experience if the option is exercised. Over time, as the Trust writes covered call options over more of its portfolio, its ability to benefit from capital appreciation on the underlying securities may become more limited, and the Trust will lose money to the extent that it writes covered call options and the securities on which it writes these options appreciate above the exercise price of the option. Therefore, over time, the Advisor may choose to decrease its use of a covered call options writing strategy to the extent that it may negatively impact the Trust’s ability to benefit from capital appreciation.

		For any written call option where the Trust does not own the underlying security, the Trust may have an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security upon conversion or exchange of other securities held by the Trust without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, cash or liquid securities in such amount are segregated on the Trust’s books) or the Trust may hold a call on the same security where the exercise price of the call held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the call written, provided cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the difference is segregated on the Trust’s books.

		When writing a put option on a security, the Trust will segregate on its books cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the option exercise price or the Trust may hold a put option on the


		same security as the put written where the exercise price of the put held is (i) equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the put written, provided an amount equal to the difference in cash or liquid securities is segregated on the Trust’s books.

		When writing an index put option, the Trust will segregate on its books cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the exercise price, or the Trust may hold a put on the same basket of securities as the put written where the exercise price of the put held is (i) equal to or more than the exercise price of the put written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the put written, provided an amount equal to the difference in cash or liquid securities is segregated on the Trust’s books. When writing an index call option, the Trust will segregate on its books cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the excess of the value of the applicable basket of securities over the exercise price, or the Trust may hold a call on the same basket of securities as the call written where the exercise price of the call held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the call written, provided an amount equal to the difference in cash or liquid securities is segregated on the Trust’s books.

		The Trust may write put and call options, the notional amount of which would be approximately 10% to 40% of the Trust’s total assets, although this percentage may vary from time to time with market conditions. Under current market conditions, the Trust anticipates initially writing put and call options, the notional amount of which would be approximately 25% of the Trust’s total assets. The Trust generally writes options that are “out of the money”—in other words, the strike price of a written call option will be greater than the market price of the underlying security on the date that the option is written, or, for a written put option, less than the market price of the underlying security on the date that the option is written; however, the Trust may also write “in the money” options for defensive or other purposes. The number of put and call options on securities the Trust can write is limited by the total assets the Trust holds, and further limited by the fact that all options represent 100 share lots of the underlying common stock.

		The Trust’s exchange-listed options transactions will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded. These limitations govern the maximum number of options in each class that may be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities or are held or written in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which the Trust may write or purchase may be affected by options written or purchased by other investment advisory clients of the Advisor. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.


		*Other Strategies*. During temporary defensive periods (i.e., in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions), the Trust may invest up to 100% of its total assets in liquid, short-term investments, including high quality, short-term securities. The Trust may not achieve its investment objectives under these circumstances.

		The Trust may purchase and sell futures contracts, enter into various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, currency transactions such as currency forward contracts, currency futures contracts, currency swaps or options on currency or currency futures and swap contracts (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps) and may purchase and sell exchange-listed and over-the-counter (“OTC”) put and call options on securities and swap contracts, financial indices and futures contracts and use other derivative instruments or management techniques (collectively, “Strategic Transactions”). The Trust may engage in Strategic Transactions for duration management and other risk management purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of the Trust’s portfolio resulting from trends in the securities markets and changes in interest rates or to protect the Trust’s unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of portfolio securities for investment purposes, to establish a position in the securities markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities or to enhance income or gain. See “The Trust’s Investments—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—Strategic Transactions and Other Management Techniques.”

		The Trust may lend securities with a value of up to 33 1/3% of its total assets (including such loans) to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral.

		The Trust may also engage in short sales of securities. See “The Trust’s Investments—Investment Objectives and Policies—Investment Policies” in this prospectus for information about the limitations applicable to the Trust’s short sale activities.

		The Trust may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objectives.

		Unless otherwise stated herein or in the SAI, the Trust’s investment policies are non-fundamental policies and may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval. The Trust’s investment objectives may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval; however, the Trust will not change its policy of investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities of companies engaged in the health sciences and related industries and equity derivatives with exposure to the health sciences industry unless it provides shareholders at least 60 days’ written notice before implementation of the change in compliance with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules.


		For a discussion of risk factors that may affect the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives, see “Risks.”

Leverage		The Trust currently does not intend to borrow money or issue debt securities or preferred shares. The Trust is, however, permitted to borrow money or issue debt securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its Managed Assets (50% of its net assets), and issue preferred shares in an amount up to 50% of its Managed Assets (100% of its net assets). “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Trust (including any assets attributable to money borrowed for investment purposes) minus the sum of the Trust’s accrued liabilities (other than money borrowed for investment purposes). Although it has no present intention to do so, the Trust reserves the right to borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, or issue debt securities or preferred shares, in the future if it believes that market conditions would be conducive to the successful implementation of a leveraging strategy through borrowing money or issuing debt securities or preferred shares. See “Leverage.”

		The use of leverage, if employed, is subject to numerous risks. When leverage is employed, the Trust’s NAV, the market price of the common shares and the yield to holders of common shares will be more volatile than if leverage were not used. For example, a rise in short-term interest rates, which currently are near historically low levels, generally will cause the Trust’s NAV to decline more than if the Trust had not used leverage. A reduction in the Trust’s NAV may cause a reduction in the market price of the Trust’s common shares. The Trust cannot assure you that the use of leverage will result in a higher yield on the Trust’s common shares. When the Trust uses leverage, the management fee payable to the Advisor will be higher than if the Trust did not use leverage because this fee is calculated on the basis of the Trust’s Managed Assets, which include the proceeds of leverage. Any leveraging strategy the Trust employs may not be successful. See “Risks—Leverage Risk.”

Investment Advisor		BlackRock Advisors, LLC will be the Trust’s investment adviser. The Advisor will receive an annual fee, payable monthly, in an amount equal to [●]% of the average daily value of the Trust’s Managed Assets. See “Management of the Trust—Investment Advisor.”

Distributions		Commencing with the Trust’s initial dividend, the Trust intends to distribute monthly all or a portion of its net investment income, including current gains, to holders of common shares. We expect to declare the initial monthly dividend on the Trust’s common shares approximately 45 days after completion of this offering and to pay that initial monthly dividend approximately 60 to 90 days after completion of this offering, depending on market conditions.


		The Trust has, pursuant to an SEC exemptive order granted to certain of BlackRock’s closed-end funds, adopted a plan to support a level distribution of income, capital gains and/or return of capital (the “Level Distribution Plan”). The Level Distribution Plan has been approved by the Board and is consistent with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies. Under the Level Distribution Plan, the Trust will distribute all available investment income, including current gains, to its shareholders, consistent with its investment objectives and as required by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). If sufficient investment income, including current gains, is not available on a monthly basis, the Trust will distribute long-term capital gains and/or return of capital to shareholders in order to maintain a level distribution. A return of capital distribution may involve a return of the shareholder’s original investment. Though not currently taxable, such a distribution may lower a shareholder’s basis in the Trust, thus potentially subjecting the shareholder to future tax consequences in connection with the sale of Trust shares, even if sold at a loss to the shareholder’s original investment. All or a significant portion of the Trust’s distributions to shareholders during the Trust’s first year of operations may consist of return of capital. Each monthly distribution to shareholders is expected to be at a fixed amount established by the Board, except for extraordinary distributions and potential distribution rate increases or decreases to enable the Trust to comply with the distribution requirements imposed by the Code. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Trust’s investment performance from the amount of these distributions or from the terms of the Level Distribution Plan.

		Various factors will affect the level of the Trust’s income, including the asset mix and the Trust’s use of options and hedging. To permit the Trust to maintain a more stable monthly distribution, the Trust may from time to time distribute less than the entire amount of income earned in a particular period. The undistributed income would be available to supplement future distributions. As a result, the distributions paid by the Trust for any particular monthly period may be more or less than the amount of income actually earned by the Trust during that period. Undistributed income will add to the Trust’s NAV (and indirectly benefits the Advisor by increasing its fee) and, correspondingly, distributions from undistributed income will reduce the Trust’s NAV. The Trust intends to distribute any long-term capital gains not distributed under the Level Distribution Plan annually.

		Shareholders will automatically have all dividends and distributions reinvested in common shares of the Trust in accordance with the Trust’s dividend reinvestment plan, unless an election is made to receive cash by contacting the Reinvestment Plan Agent (as defined herein), at (800) 699-1236. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”

		Under normal market conditions, the Advisor will seek to manage the Trust in a manner such that the Trust’s distributions are reflective of the Trust’s current and projected earnings levels. The distribution level of the Trust is subject to change based upon a number of factors, including the current and projected level of the Trust’s earnings, and may fluctuate over time.


		The Trust reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its monthly distributions at any time and may do so without prior notice to common shareholders. See “Distributions.”

Listing		The Trust’s common shares are expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), subject to notice of issuance, under the symbol “[●].” See “Description of Shares—Common Shares.”

Custodian and Transfer Agent		[●] will serve as the Trust’s custodian, and [●] will serve as the Trust’s transfer agent.

Administrator		[●] will serve as the Trust’s administrator and fund accountant.

Market Price of Shares		Common shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at prices lower than their NAV. The Trust cannot assure you that its common shares will trade at a price higher than or equal to NAV. See “Use of Proceeds.” The Trust’s common shares will trade in the open market at market prices that will be a function of several factors, including dividend levels (which are in turn affected by expenses), NAV, call protection for portfolio securities, portfolio credit quality, liquidity, dividend stability, relative demand for and supply of the common shares in the market, general market and economic conditions and other factors. See “Leverage,” “Risks,” “Description of Shares” and “Repurchase of Common Shares.” The common shares are designed primarily for long-term investors and you should not purchase common shares of the Trust if you intend to sell them shortly after purchase.

Special Risk Considerations		An investment in common shares of the Trust involves risk. You should consider carefully the risks discussed below, which are described in more detail under “Risks” beginning on page [●] of this prospectus.

		*No Operating History*. The Trust is a newly organized, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with no operating history. The Trust does not have any historical financial statements or other meaningful operating or financial data on which potential investors may evaluate the Trust and its performance. See “Risks—No Operating History.”

		*Limited Term Risk*. Unless the limited term provision of the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust is amended by shareholders in accordance with the Agreement and Declaration of Trust, or unless the Trust completes an Eligible Tender Offer and converts to perpetual existence, the Trust will dissolve on or about the Dissolution Date. The Trust is not a so called “target date” or “life cycle” fund whose asset allocation becomes more conservative over time as its target date, often associated with retirement, approaches. In addition, the Trust is not a “target


		term” fund and thus does not seek to return its initial public offering price per common share upon dissolution. As the assets of the Trust will be liquidated in connection with its dissolution, the Trust may be required to sell portfolio securities when it otherwise would not, including at times when market conditions are not favorable, which may cause the Trust to lose money. In addition, as the Trust approaches the Dissolution Date, the Advisor may invest the proceeds of sold, matured or called securities in money market mutual funds, cash, cash equivalents, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its instrumentalities or agencies, high quality, short-term money market instruments, short-term debt securities, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and other bank obligations, commercial paper or other liquid debt securities, which may adversely affect the Trust’s investment performance. Rather than reinvesting proceeds received from sales of or payments received in respect of portfolio securities, the Trust may distribute such proceeds in one or more liquidating distributions prior to the final dissolution, which may cause the Trust’s fixed expenses to increase when expressed as a percentage of net assets attributable to common shares, or the Trust may invest the proceeds in lower yielding securities or hold the proceeds in cash or cash equivalents, which may adversely affect the performance of the Trust. The final distribution of net assets upon dissolution may be more than, equal to or less than $20.00 per common share. Because the Trust may adopt a plan of liquidation and make liquidating distributions in advance of the Dissolution Date, the total value of the Trust’s assets returned to common shareholders upon dissolution will be impacted by decisions of the Board and the Advisor regarding the timing of adopting a plan of liquidation and making liquidating distributions. This may result in common shareholders receiving liquidating distributions with a value more or less than the value that would have been received if the Trust had liquidated all of its assets on the Dissolution Date, or any other potential date for liquidation referenced in this prospectus, and distributed the proceeds thereof to shareholders.

		If the Trust conducts an Eligible Tender Offer, the Trust anticipates that funds to pay the aggregate purchase price of shares accepted for purchase pursuant to the tender offer will be first derived from any cash on hand and then from the proceeds from the sale of portfolio investments held by the Trust. The risks related to the disposition of securities in connection with the Trust’s dissolution also would be present in connection with the disposition of securities in connection with an Eligible Tender Offer. It is likely that during the pendency of a tender offer, and possibly for a time thereafter, the Trust will hold a greater than normal percentage of its total assets in cash and cash equivalents, which may impede the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives and decrease returns to shareholders. The tax effect of any such dispositions of portfolio investments will depend on the difference between the price at which the investments are sold and the tax basis of the Trust in the investments. Any capital gains recognized on such dispositions, as reduced by any capital losses the Trust realizes in the year of such dispositions and by any available capital loss carryforwards, will be distributed to


		shareholders as capital gain dividends (to the extent of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) or ordinary dividends (to the extent of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) during or with respect to such year, and such distributions will generally be taxable to common shareholders. If the Trust’s tax basis for the investments sold is less than the sale proceeds, the Trust will recognize capital gains, which the Trust will be required to distribute to common shareholders. In addition, the Trust’s purchase of tendered common shares pursuant to an Eligible Tender Offer will have tax consequences for tendering common shareholders and may have tax consequences for non-tendering common shareholders. See “Tax Matters” below.

		The purchase of common shares by the Trust pursuant to an Eligible Tender Offer will have the effect of increasing the proportionate interest in the Trust of non-tendering common shareholders. All common shareholders remaining after an Eligible Tender Offer will be subject to any increased risks associated with the reduction in the Trust’s assets resulting from payment for the tendered common shares, such as greater volatility due to decreased diversification and proportionately higher expenses. The reduced assets of the Trust as a result of an Eligible Tender Offer may result in less investment flexibility for the Trust and may have an adverse effect on the Trust’s investment performance. Such reduction in the Trust’s assets may also cause common shares of the Trust to become thinly traded or otherwise negatively impact secondary trading of common shares. A reduction in assets, and the corresponding increase in the Trust’s expense ratio, could result in lower returns and put the Trust at a disadvantage relative to its peers and potentially cause the Trust’s common shares to trade at a wider discount to NAV than they otherwise would. Furthermore, the portfolio of the Trust following an Eligible Tender Offer could be significantly different and, therefore, common shareholders retaining an investment in the Trust could be subject to greater risk. For example, the Trust may be required to sell its more liquid, higher quality portfolio investments to purchase common shares that are tendered in an Eligible Tender Offer, which would leave a less liquid, lower quality portfolio for remaining shareholders. The prospects of an Eligible Tender Offer may attract arbitrageurs who would purchase the common shares prior to the tender offer for the sole purpose of tendering those shares which could have the effect of exacerbating the risks described herein for shareholders retaining an investment in the Trust following an Eligible Tender Offer.

		The Trust is not required to conduct an Eligible Tender Offer. If the Trust conducts an Eligible Tender Offer, there can be no assurance that the payment for tendered common shares would not result in the Trust having aggregate net assets below the Dissolution Threshold, in which case the Eligible Tender Offer will be canceled, no common shares will be repurchased pursuant to the Eligible Tender Offer and the Trust will liquidate on the Dissolution Date (subject to possible extensions). Following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer in which the payment for tendered common shares would result in the Trust having


		aggregate net assets greater than or equal to the Dissolution Threshold, the Board may, by a Board Action Vote, eliminate the Dissolution Date without shareholder approval and provide for the Trust’s perpetual existence. Thereafter, the Trust will have a perpetual existence. There is no guarantee that the Board will eliminate the Dissolution Date following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer so that the Trust will have a perpetual existence. The Advisor may have a conflict of interest in recommending to the Board that the Dissolution Date be eliminated and the Trust have a perpetual existence. The Trust is not required to conduct additional tender offers following an Eligible Tender Offer and conversion to perpetual existence. Therefore, remaining common shareholders may not have another opportunity to participate in a tender offer. Shares of closed-end management investment companies frequently trade at a discount from their NAV, and as a result remaining common shareholders may only be able to sell their shares at a discount to NAV.

		Although it is anticipated that the Trust will have distributed substantially all of its net assets to shareholders as soon as practicable after the Dissolution Date, securities for which no market exists or securities trading at depressed prices, if any, may be placed in a liquidating trust. Securities placed in a liquidating trust may be held for an indefinite period of time, potentially several years or longer, until they can be sold or pay out all of their cash flows. During such time, the shareholders will continue to be exposed to the risks associated with the Trust and the value of their interest in the liquidating trust will fluctuate with the value of the liquidating trust’s remaining assets. Additionally, the tax treatment of the liquidating trust’s assets may differ from the tax treatment applicable to such assets when held by the Trust. To the extent the costs associated with a liquidating trust exceed the value of the remaining securities, the liquidating trust trustees may determine to dispose of the remaining securities in a manner of their choosing. The Trust cannot predict the amount, if any, of securities that will be required to be placed in a liquidating trust or how long it will take to sell or otherwise dispose of such securities.

		*Non-Diversified Status*. The Trust is a non-diversified fund. As defined in the Investment Company Act, a non-diversified fund may have a significant part of its investments in a smaller number of issuers than can a diversified fund. Having a larger percentage of assets in a smaller number of issuers makes a non-diversified fund, like the Trust, more susceptible to the risk that one single event or occurrence can have a significant adverse impact upon the Trust.

		*Investment and Market Discount Risk*. An investment in the Trust’s common shares is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire amount that you invest. As with any stock, the price of the Trust’s common shares will fluctuate with market conditions and other factors. If shares are sold, the price received may be more or less than the original investment. Common shares are designed for long-term investors and the Trust should not be treated as a trading vehicle. Shares of closed-end


		management investment companies frequently trade at a discount from their NAV. This risk is separate and distinct from the risk that the Trust’s NAV could decrease as a result of its investment activities. At any point in time an investment in the Trust’s common shares may be worth less than the original amount invested, even after taking into account distributions paid by the Trust. This risk may be greater for investors who sell their common shares in a relatively short period of time after completion of the initial offering. During periods in which the Trust may use leverage, the Trust’s investment, market discount and certain other risks will be magnified.

		*Industry Concentration Risk*. The Trust’s investments will be concentrated in the health sciences and related industries. As a result, the Trust’s portfolio may be more sensitive to, and possibly more adversely affected by, regulatory, economic or political factors or trends relating to the healthcare, agricultural and environmental technology industries than a portfolio of companies representing a larger number of industries. See “Risks—Industry Concentration Risk.”

		*Health Sciences Industry Risks*. Risks inherent in the health sciences industry include:

		Concentration in the Health Sciences Industry. Companies in the health sciences industry have in the past been characterized by limited product focus, rapidly changing technology and extensive government regulation. In particular, technological advances can render an existing product, which may account for a disproportionate share of a company’s revenue, obsolete. Obtaining governmental approval from agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for new products can be lengthy, expensive and uncertain as to outcome. Any delays in product development may result in the need to seek additional capital, potentially diluting the interests of existing investors such as the Trust. In addition, governmental agencies may, for a variety of reasons, restrict the release of certain innovative technologies of commercial significance. These various factors may result in abrupt advances and declines in the securities prices of particular companies and, in some cases, may have a broad effect on the prices of securities of companies in particular health sciences industries.

		A concentration of investments in health sciences companies generally may increase the risk and volatility of the Trust’s portfolio. Such volatility is not limited to the health sciences industry, and companies in other industries may be subject to similar abrupt movements in the market prices of their securities. No assurance can be given that future declines in the market prices of securities of companies in the industries in which the Trust may invest will not occur, or that such declines will not adversely affect the NAV or the price of the Trust’s common shares.

		Intense competition exists within and among the health sciences industry, including competition to obtain and sustain proprietary technology protection. Health sciences companies can be highly


		dependent on the strength of patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights for maintenance of profit margins and market exclusivity. The complex nature of the technologies involved can lead to patent disputes, including litigation that may be costly and that could result in a company losing an exclusive right to a patent. Competitors of health sciences companies, particularly emerging growth health sciences companies in which the Trust may invest, may have substantially greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing and service capabilities, and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel. Such competitors may succeed in developing technologies and products that are more effective or less costly than any that may be developed by health sciences companies in which the Trust invests and may also prove to be more successful in production and marketing. Competition may increase further as a result of potential advances in health services and medical technology and greater availability of capital for investment in these fields.

		With respect to the health sciences industry, cost containment measures already implemented by the federal government, state governments and the private sector have adversely affected certain sectors of these industries. If not repealed, the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) may create increased demand for healthcare products and services but also may have an adverse effect on some companies in the health sciences industry, as discussed further below under “Risks Associated with the Implementation or Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” Increased emphasis on managed care in the United States may put pressure on the price and usage of products sold by health sciences companies in which the Trust may invest and may adversely affect the sales and revenues of health sciences companies.

		Product development efforts by health sciences companies may not result in commercial products for many reasons, including, but not limited to, failure to achieve acceptable clinical trial results, limited effectiveness in treating the specified condition or illness, harmful side effects, failure to obtain regulatory approval, and high manufacturing costs. Even after a product is commercially released, governmental agencies may require additional clinical trials or change the labeling requirements for products if additional product side effects are identified, which could have a material adverse effect on the market price of the securities of those health sciences companies.

		Certain health sciences companies in which the Trust may invest may be exposed to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals, medical devices or other products. A product liability claim may have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition or securities prices of a company in which the Trust has invested.


		All of these factors may cause the value of the Trust’s shares to fluctuate significantly over relatively short periods of time.

		Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Company Risk. The success of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies is highly dependent on the development, procurement and/or marketing of drugs. The values of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are also dependent on the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights and other proprietary information, and the profitability of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies may be significantly affected by such things as the expiration of patents or the loss of, or the inability to enforce, intellectual property rights. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Biotechnology Company Risk” and “—Pharmaceutical Company Risk.”

		Managed Care Sector Risk. Companies in the managed care sector often assume the risk of both medical and administrative costs for their customers in return for monthly premiums. The profitability of these products depends in large part on the ability of such companies to predict, price for, and effectively manage medical costs. Managed care companies base the premiums they charge and their Medicare bids on estimates of future medical costs over the fixed contract period; however, many factors may cause actual costs to exceed what was estimated and reflected in premiums or bids. These factors may include medical cost inflation, increased use of services, increased cost of individual services, natural catastrophes or other large-scale medical emergencies, epidemics, the introduction of new or costly treatments and technology, new mandated benefits (such as the expansion of essential benefits coverage) or other regulatory changes and insured population characteristics. Relatively small differences between predicted and actual medical costs or utilization rates as a percentage of revenues can result in significant changes in the financial results of companies in which the Trust invests. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Managed Care Sector Risk.”

		Life Science and Tools Industry Risk. Life sciences industries are characterized by limited product focus, rapidly changing technology and extensive government regulation. In particular, technological advances can render an existing product, which may account for a disproportionate share of a company’s revenue, obsolete. Obtaining governmental approval from agencies such as the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other governmental agencies for new products can be lengthy, expensive and uncertain as to outcome. Any delays in product development may result in the need to seek additional capital, potentially diluting the interests of existing investors such as the Trust. In addition, governmental agencies may, for a variety of reasons, restrict the release of certain innovative technologies of commercial significance, such as genetically altered material. These various factors may result in abrupt advances and declines in the securities prices of particular companies and, in some cases, may have a broad effect on the prices of securities of companies in particular life sciences industries. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Life Science and Tools Industry Risk.”


		Healthcare Technology Sector Risk. Companies in the healthcare technology sector may incur substantial costs related to product-related liabilities. Many of the software solutions, health care devices or services developed by such companies are intended for use in collecting, storing and displaying clinical and health care-related information used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients and in related health care settings such as admissions, billing, etc. The limitations of liability set forth in the companies’ contracts may not be enforceable or may not otherwise protect these companies from liability for damages. Healthcare technology companies may also be subject to claims that are not covered by contract, such as a claim directly by a patient. Although such companies may maintain liability insurance coverage, there can be no assurance that such coverage will cover any particular claim that has been brought or that may be brought in the future, that such coverage will prove to be adequate or that such coverage will continue to remain available on acceptable terms, if at all. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Healthcare Technology Sector Risk.”

		Healthcare Services Sector Risk. The operations of healthcare services companies are subject to extensive federal, state and local government regulations, including Medicare and Medicaid payment rules and regulations, federal and state anti-kickback laws, the physician self-referral law and analogous state self-referral prohibition statutes, Federal Acquisition Regulations, the False Claims Act and federal and state laws regarding the collection, use and disclosure of patient health information and the storage, handling and administration of pharmaceuticals. The Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rules related to claims submission, enrollment and licensing requirements, cost reporting, and payment processes impose complex and extensive requirements upon dialysis providers as well. A violation or departure from any of these legal requirements may result in government audits, lower reimbursements, significant fines and penalties, the potential loss of certification, recoupment efforts or voluntary repayments. If healthcare services companies fail to adhere to all of the complex government regulations that apply to their businesses, such companies could suffer severe consequences that would substantially reduce revenues, earnings, cash flows and stock prices. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Healthcare Services Sector Risk.”

		Healthcare Supplies Sector Risk. If healthcare supplies companies are unable to successfully expand their product lines through internal research and development and acquisitions, their business may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, if these companies are unable to successfully grow their businesses through marketing partnerships and acquisitions, their business may be materially and adversely affected. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Healthcare Supplies Sector Risk.”


		Healthcare Facilities Sector Risk. A healthcare facility’s ability to negotiate favorable contracts with health maintenance organizations (“HMOs”), insurers offering preferred provider arrangements and other managed care plans significantly affects the revenues and operating results of such healthcare facilities. In addition, private payers are increasingly attempting to control health care costs through direct contracting with hospitals to provide services on a discounted basis, increased utilization reviews and greater enrollment in managed care programs, such as HMOs and Preferred Provider Organizations. The trend toward consolidation among private managed care payers tends to increase their bargaining power over prices and fee structures. It is not clear what impact, if any, the increased obligations on private payers imposed by the health care reform law will have on a healthcare facility’s ability to negotiate reimbursement increases. However, if certain provisions of the ACA are implemented, including the establishment of the exchanges, non-government payers may increasingly demand reduced fees. If a healthcare facility is unable to enter into and maintain managed care contractual arrangements on acceptable terms, if it experiences material reductions in the contracted rates received from managed care payers, or if it has difficulty collecting from managed care payers, its results of operations could be adversely affected. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Healthcare Facilities Sector Risk.”

		Healthcare Equipment Sector Risk. The medical device markets are highly competitive and a healthcare equipment company may be unable to compete effectively. These markets are characterized by rapid change resulting from technological advances and scientific discoveries. Development by other companies of new or improved products, processes, or technologies may make a healthcare equipment company’s products or proposed products less competitive. In addition, these companies face competition from providers of alternative medical therapies such as pharmaceutical companies. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Healthcare Equipment Sector Risk.”

		Healthcare Distributors Sector Risk. Companies in the healthcare distribution sector operate in markets that are highly competitive. Because of competition, many of these companies face pricing pressures from customers and suppliers. If these companies are unable to offset margin reductions caused by pricing pressures through steps such as effective sourcing and enhanced cost control measures, the financial condition of such companies could be adversely affected. In addition, in recent years, the health sciences industry has continued to consolidate. Further consolidation among customers and suppliers (including branded pharmaceutical manufacturers) could give the resulting enterprises greater bargaining power, which may adversely impact the financial condition of companies in the healthcare distribution sector. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Healthcare Distributors Sector Risk.”

		Healthcare REIT Risk. The health sciences industry is highly regulated, and changes in government regulation and


		reimbursement can have material adverse consequences on its participants, including REITs that derive their income from the ownership, leasing, or financing of properties in the healthcare sector (“Healthcare REITs”), some of which may be unintended. The health sciences industry is also highly competitive, and the operators and managers of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs may encounter increased competition for residents and patients, including with respect to the scope and quality of care and services provided, reputation and financial condition, physical appearance of the properties, price and location. If tenants, operators and managers of the underlying properties of Healthcare REITs are unable to successfully compete with other operators and managers by maintaining profitable occupancy and rate levels, their ability to meet their respective obligations to Healthcare REITs may be materially adversely affected. There can be no assurance that future changes in government regulation will not adversely affect the health sciences industry, including seniors housing and healthcare operations, tenants and operators, nor can it be certain that tenants, operators and managers of the underlying properties of Healthcare REITs will achieve and maintain occupancy and rate levels that will enable them to satisfy their obligations to a Healthcare REIT. Any adverse changes in the regulation of the health sciences industry or the competitiveness of the tenants, operators and managers of the underlying properties of Healthcare REITs could have a more pronounced effect on a Healthcare REIT than if it had investments outside the seniors housing and health sciences industry. Regulation of the long-term health sciences industry generally has intensified over time both in the number and type of regulations and in the efforts to enforce those regulations. Federal, state and local laws and regulations affecting the health sciences industry include those relating to, among other things, licensure, conduct of operations, ownership of facilities, addition of facilities and equipment, allowable costs, services, prices for services, qualified beneficiaries, quality of care, patient rights, fraudulent or abusive behavior, and financial and other arrangements that may be entered into by healthcare providers. In addition, changes in enforcement policies by federal and state governments have resulted in an increase in the number of inspections, citations of regulatory deficiencies and other regulatory sanctions, including terminations from the Medicare and Medicaid programs, bars on Medicare and Medicaid payments for new admissions, civil monetary penalties and even criminal penalties. It is not possible to predict the scope of future federal, state and local regulations and legislation, including the Medicare and Medicaid statutes and regulations, or the intensity of enforcement efforts with respect to such regulations and legislation, and any changes in the regulatory framework could have a material adverse effect on the tenants, operators and managers of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on Healthcare REITs themselves. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Healthcare REIT Risk.”

		Risks Associated with the Implementation or Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In March 2010, the ACA was enacted. The ACA contains a number of provisions that could


		affect the Trust and its investments over the next several years. These provisions include establishing health insurance exchanges to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans, expanding Medicaid eligibility, subsidizing insurance premiums and creating requirements and incentives for businesses to provide healthcare benefits. Other provisions contain changes to healthcare fraud and abuse laws and expand the scope of the Federal False Claims Act. The ACA contains numerous other measures that could also affect the Trust. See “Risks—Health Sciences Industry Risks—Risks Associated with the Implementation or Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”

		*Equity Securities Risk*. Stock markets are volatile, and the prices of equity securities fluctuate based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed-income securities over the long-term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and, in certain periods, have significantly underperformed relative to fixed-income securities. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock held by the Trust. A common stock may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The value of a particular common stock held by the Trust may decline for a number of other reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, the issuer’s historical and prospective earnings, the value of its assets and reduced demand for its goods and services. Also, the prices of common stocks are sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks to which the Trust has exposure. Common stock prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Common equity securities in which the Trust may invest are structurally subordinated to preferred stock, bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and are therefore inherently more risky than preferred stock or debt instruments of such issuers. Investments in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and other similar global instruments are generally subject to risks associated with equity securities and investments in non-U.S. securities. Unsponsored ADR, EDR and GDR programs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities. As a result, available information concerning the issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, and the prices of unsponsored ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be more volatile than if such instruments were sponsored by the issuer.


		*Dividend Paying Equity Securities Risk*. Dividends on common equity securities that the Trust may hold are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of an issuer’s board of directors. Companies that have historically paid dividends on their securities are not required to continue to pay dividends on such securities. There is no guarantee that the issuers of the common equity securities in which the Trust invests will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will remain at current levels or increase over time. Therefore, there is the possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future. Dividend producing equity securities, in particular those whose market price is closely related to their yield, may exhibit greater sensitivity to interest rate changes. See “Risks—Fixed-Income Securities Risks—Interest Rate Risk.” The Trust’s investments in dividend producing equity securities may also limit its potential for appreciation during a broad market advance. The prices of dividend producing equity securities can be highly volatile. Investors should not assume that the Trust’s investments in these securities will necessarily reduce the volatility of the Trust’s NAV or provide “protection,” compared to other types of equity securities, when markets perform poorly.

		*Smaller Capitalization Company Risk*. Smaller capitalization companies may have limited product lines or markets. They may be less financially secure than larger, more established companies. They may depend on a small number of key personnel. If a product fails or there are other adverse developments, or if management changes, the Trust’s investment in a smaller capitalization company may lose substantial value. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts. The securities of smaller capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization securities or the market as a whole. In addition, smaller capitalization securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings. Investing in smaller capitalization securities requires a longer term view. See “Risks—Smaller Capitalization Company Risk.”

		*Risks Associated with Private Company Investments*. Private companies are generally not subject to SEC reporting requirements, are not required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, the Advisor may not have timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of the private companies in which the Trust invests. There is risk that the Trust may invest on the basis of


		incomplete or inaccurate information, which may adversely affect the Trust’s investment performance. Private companies in which the Trust may invest may have limited financial resources, shorter operating histories, more asset concentration risk, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render such private companies more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as general economic downturns. These companies generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position. These companies may have difficulty accessing the capital markets to meet future capital needs, which may limit their ability to grow or to repay their outstanding indebtedness upon maturity. In addition, the Trust’s investment also may be structured as pay-in-kind securities with minimal or no cash interest or dividends until the company meets certain growth and liquidity objectives. See “Risks—Risks Associated with Private Company Investments.” Typically, investments in private companies are in restricted securities that are not traded in public markets and subject to substantial holding periods, so that the Trust may not be able to resell some of its holdings for extended periods, which may be several years. There can be no assurance that the Trust will be able to realize the value of private company investments in a timely manner. See “Risks—Risks Associated with Private Company Investments—Private Company Illiquidity Risk.”

		*Pre-IPO Securities Risk*. Investments in pre-IPO securities involve greater risks than investments in shares of companies that have traded publicly on an exchange for extended periods of time. These investments may present significant opportunities for capital appreciation but involve a high degree of risk that may result in significant decreases in the value of these investments. Issuers of pre-IPO securities may not have established products, experienced management or earnings history. The Trust may not be able to sell such investments when the Advisor deems it appropriate to do so because they are not publicly traded. As such, these investments are generally considered to be illiquid until a company’s public offering (which may never occur) and are often subject to additional contractual restrictions on resale following any public offering that may prevent the Trust from selling its shares of these companies for a period of time. See “Risks—Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risk.” Market conditions, developments within a company, investor perception or regulatory decisions may adversely affect an issuer of pre-IPO securities and delay or prevent such an issuer from ultimately offering its securities to the public. If a company does issue shares in an IPO, IPOs are risky and volatile and may cause the value of the Trust’s investment to decrease significantly.

		*Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risk*. The Trust may invest without limitation in illiquid or less liquid investments or investments in which no secondary market is readily available or


		which are otherwise illiquid, including private placement securities. The Trust may not be able to readily dispose of such investments at prices that approximate those at which the Trust could sell such investments if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Trust may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. Limited liquidity can also affect the market price of investments, thereby adversely affecting the Trust’s NAV and ability to make dividend distributions. The financial markets in general, and certain segments of the mortgage-related securities markets in particular, have in recent years experienced periods of extreme secondary market supply and demand imbalance, resulting in a loss of liquidity during which market prices were suddenly and substantially below traditional measures of intrinsic value. During such periods, some investments could be sold only at arbitrary prices and with substantial losses. Periods of such market dislocation may occur again at any time. Privately issued debt securities are often of below investment grade quality, frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as investing in below investment grade public debt securities. See “Risks—Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risk.”

		*Valuation Risk.* The Trust is subject to valuation risk, which is the risk that one or more of the securities in which the Trust invests are valued at prices that the Trust is unable to obtain upon sale due to factors such as incomplete data, market instability or human error. The Advisor may use an independent pricing service or prices provided by dealers to value securities at their market value. Because the secondary markets for certain investments may be limited, such instruments may be difficult to value. See “Net Asset Value.” When market quotations are not available, the Advisor may price such investments pursuant to a number of methodologies, such as computer-based analytical modeling or individual security evaluations. These methodologies generate approximations of market values, and there may be significant professional disagreement about the best methodology for a particular type of financial instrument or different methodologies that might be used under different circumstances. In the absence of an actual market transaction, reliance on such methodologies is essential, but may introduce significant variances in the ultimate valuation of the Trust’s investments. Technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers may also impact the Trust’s ability to value its investments and the calculation of the Trust’s NAV. When market quotations are not readily available or are deemed to be inaccurate or unreliable, the Trust values its investments at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to policies and procedures approved by the Board. Fair value is defined as the amount for which assets could be sold in an orderly disposition over a reasonable period of time, taking into account the nature of the asset. Fair value pricing may require determinations that are inherently subjective and inexact about the value of a security or other asset. As a result, there can be no assurance that fair value


		priced assets will not result in future adjustments to the prices of securities or other assets, or that fair value pricing will reflect a price that the Trust is able to obtain upon sale, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security or other asset will be materially different from quoted or published prices, from the prices used by others for the same security or other asset and/or from the value that actually could be or is realized upon the sale of that security or other asset. For example, the Trust’s NAV could be adversely affected if the Trust’s determinations regarding the fair value of the Trust’s investments were materially higher than the values that the Trust ultimately realizes upon the disposal of such investments. Where market quotations are not readily available, valuation may require more research than for more liquid investments. See “Risks— Risks Associated with Private Company Investments—Private Company Valuation Risk.” In addition, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation in such cases than for investments with a more active secondary market because there is less reliable objective data available. The Advisor anticipates that up to approximately 25% of the Trust’s net assets (calculated at the time of investment) may be valued using fair value. This percentage may increase over the life of the Trust and may exceed 25% of the Trust’s net assets due to a number of factors, such as when the Trust nears dissolution; outflows of cash from time to time; and changes in the valuation of these investments. The Trust prices its shares daily and therefore all assets, including assets valued at fair value, are valued daily. The Trust’s NAV per common share is a critical component in several operational matters including computation of advisory and services fees. Consequently, variance in the valuation of the Trust’s investments will impact, positively or negatively, the fees and expenses shareholders will pay.

		*New Issues Risk*. “New Issues” are IPOs of U.S. equity securities. There is no assurance that the Trust will have access to profitable IPOs and therefore investors should not rely on any past gains from IPOs as an indication of future performance of the Trust. The investment performance of the Trust during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when the Trust is able to do so. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, some companies in IPOs are involved in relatively new industries or lines of business, which may not be widely understood by investors. Some of these companies may be undercapitalized or regarded as developmental stage companies, without revenues or operating income, or the near-term prospects of achieving them. Further, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. When an IPO is brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Trust may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or, if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Trust to buy or sell significant amounts of shares.


		*Growth Stock Risk*. Securities of growth companies may be more volatile since such companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their business, and they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. Stocks of companies the Advisor believes are fast-growing may trade at a higher multiple of current earnings than other stocks. The values of these stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other stocks. Earnings disappointments often lead to sharply falling prices because investors buy growth stocks in anticipation of superior earnings growth. If the Advisor’s assessment of the prospects for a company’s earnings growth is wrong, or if the Advisor’s judgment of how other investors will value the company’s earnings growth is wrong, then the price of the company’s stock may fall or may not approach the value that the Advisor has placed on it.

		*Value Stock Risk*. The Advisor may be wrong in its assessment of a company’s value and the stocks the Trust owns may not reach what the Advisor believes are their full values. A particular risk of the Trust’s value stock investments is that some holdings may not recover and provide the capital growth anticipated or a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced. Further, because the prices of value-oriented securities tend to correlate more closely with economic cycles than growth-oriented securities, they generally are more sensitive to changing economic conditions, such as changes in interest rates, corporate earnings, and industrial production. The market may not favor value-oriented stocks and may not favor equities at all. During those periods, the Trust’s relative performance may suffer.

		*Risks Associated with the Trust’s Options Strategy*. The ability of the Trust to generate current gains from options premiums and to enhance the Trust’s risk-adjusted returns is partially dependent on the successful implementation of its options strategy. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events.

		Risks of Writing Options. As the writer of a covered call option, the Trust forgoes, during the option’s life, the opportunity to profit from increases in the market value of the security covering the call option above the sum of the premium and the strike price of the call, but has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. In other words, as the Trust writes covered calls over more of its portfolio, the Trust’s ability to benefit from capital appreciation becomes more limited.


		If the Trust writes call options on individual securities or index call options that include securities, in each case, that are not in the Trust’s portfolio or that are not in the same proportion as securities in the Trust’s portfolio, the Trust will experience loss, which theoretically could be unlimited, if the value of the individual security, index or basket of securities appreciates above the exercise price of the index option written by the Trust. When the Trust writes put options, it bears the risk of loss if the value of the underlying stock declines below the exercise price minus the put premium. If the option is exercised, the Trust could incur a loss if it is required to purchase the stock underlying the put option at a price greater than the market price of the stock at the time of exercise plus the put premium the Trust received when it wrote the option. While the Trust’s potential gain in writing a put option is limited to the premium received from the purchaser of the put option, the Trust risks a loss equal to the entire exercise price of the option minus the put premium. See “Risks—Risks Associated with the Trust’s Options Strategy—Risks of Writing Options.”

		Exchange-Listed Options Risks. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist when the Trust seeks to close out an exchange-listed option position. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation (the “OCC”) may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options). See “Risks—Risks Associated with the Trust’s Options Strategy—Exchange-Listed Options Risks.”

		Over-the-Counter Options Risk. The Trust may write (sell) unlisted OTC options. OTC options differ from exchange-listed options in that they are two-party contracts, with exercise price, premium and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-listed options. The OTC options written by the Trust will not be issued, guaranteed or cleared by the OCC. In addition, the Trust’s ability to terminate OTC options may be more limited than with exchange-traded options. Banks, broker-dealers or other financial institutions participating in such transactions may fail to settle a transaction in accordance with the terms of the option as written. In the event of default or insolvency of the counterparty, the Trust may be unable to liquidate an OTC option position. See “Risks—Risks Associated with the Trust’s Options Strategy—Over-the-Counter Options Risk.”


		Index Options Risk. The Trust may sell index put and call options from time to time. The purchaser of an index put option has the right to any depreciation in the value of the index below the exercise price of the option on or before the expiration date. The purchaser of an index call option has the right to any appreciation in the value of the index over the exercise price of the option on or before the expiration date. Because the exercise of index options is settled in cash, sellers of index call options, such as the Trust, cannot provide in advance for their potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the underlying securities. The Trust will lose money if it is required to pay the purchaser of an index option the difference between the cash value of the index on which the option was written and the exercise price and such difference is greater than the premium received by the Trust for writing the option. See “Risks—Risks Associated with the Trust’s Options Strategy—Index Options Risk.”

		Limitation on Options Writing Risk. The number of call options the Trust can write is limited by the total assets the Trust holds and is further limited by the fact that all options represent 100 share lots of the underlying common stock. Furthermore, the Trust’s options transactions will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded. See “Risks—Risks Associated with the Trust’s Options Strategy—Limitation on Options Writing Risk.”

		Tax Risk. Income on options on individual stocks will generally not be recognized by the Trust for tax purposes until an option is exercised, lapses or is subject to a “closing transaction” (as defined by applicable regulations) pursuant to which the Trust’s obligations with respect to the option are otherwise terminated. If the option lapses without exercise or is otherwise subject to a closing transaction, the premiums received by the Trust from the writing of such options will generally be characterized as short-term capital gain. If an option written by the Trust is exercised, the Trust may recognize taxable gain depending on the exercise price of the option, the option premium, and the tax basis of the security underlying the option. The character of any gain on the sale of the underlying security as short-term or long-term capital gain will depend on the holding period of the Trust in the underlying security. In general, distributions received by shareholders of the Trust that are attributable to short-term capital gains recognized by the Trust from its options writing activities will be taxed to such shareholders as ordinary income and will not be eligible for the reduced tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income. Index options will generally be “marked-to-market” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Trust will generally recognize gain or loss on the last day of each taxable year equal to the difference between the value of the index option on that date and the adjusted basis of the index option. The adjusted basis of the index option will consequently be increased by such gain or decreased by such loss. Any gain or loss with respect to index options will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 40% of such gain or loss and long-term capital gain or


		loss to the extent of 60% of such gain or loss. Because the mark-to-market rules may cause the Trust to recognize gain in advance of the receipt of cash, the Trust may be required to dispose of investments in order to meet its distribution requirements.

		*Preferred Securities Risk.* There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities, including deferral, subordination, limited voting rights, special redemption rights, risks associated with trust preferred securities and risks associated with new types of securities. See “Risks—Preferred Securities Risk.”

		*Convertible Securities Risk*. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. The market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, when the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security exceeds the conversion price, the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis and thus may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. Synthetic convertible securities are subject to additional risks, including risks associated with derivatives. See “Risks—Convertible Securities Risk.”

		*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 Trust loses 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.

		*Non-U.S. Securities Risk*. The Trust may invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers (“Non-U.S. Securities”). Such investments involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments. Securities markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient or liquid as securities markets in the United States and, therefore, the prices of Non-U.S. Securities can be more volatile. Certain foreign countries may impose restrictions on the ability of issuers of Non-U.S. Securities to make payments of principal and interest or dividends to investors located outside the country. In addition, the Trust will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which could cause the Trust to lose money on its investments in Non-U.S. Securities. The Trust will be subject to additional risks if it invests in Non-U.S. Securities, which include seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits. Non-U.S. Securities may trade on days when the Trust’s common shares are not priced or traded. See “Risks—Non-U.S. Securities Risk.”

		*Emerging and Frontier Markets Risk.* The Trust may invest in Non-U.S. Securities of issuers in so-called “emerging markets” (or lesser developed countries, including countries that may be


		considered “frontier” markets). Such investments are particularly speculative and entail all of the risks of investing in Non-U.S. Securities but to a heightened degree. “Emerging market” countries generally include every nation in the world except developed countries, that is, the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most countries located in Western Europe. Investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets involve certain additional risks that do not generally apply to investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets; (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments; (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, 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; (iv) national policies that may limit the Trust’s investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. See “Risks—Emerging Markets Risk,” “—Frontier Markets Risk,” “—Risk of Investing in China,” “—Risk of Investing through Stock Connects,” “—A-Share Market Suspension Risk,” “—Risk of Investing in Japan,” “—Risk of Investing in Latin America,” “—Risk of Investing in Asia-Pacific Countries,” and “—Risk of Investing in Russia.”

		*Foreign Currency Risk*. Because the Trust may invest in securities denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, changes in foreign currency exchange rates may affect the value of securities held by the Trust and the unrealized appreciation or depreciation of investments. Currencies of certain countries may be volatile and therefore may affect the value of securities denominated in such currencies, which means that the Trust’s NAV could decline as a result of changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. The Advisor may, but is not required to, elect for the Trust to seek to protect itself from changes in currency exchange rates through hedging transactions depending on market conditions. In addition, certain countries, particularly emerging market countries, may impose foreign currency exchange controls or other restrictions on the transferability, repatriation or convertibility of currency.

		*Fixed-Income Securities Risks*. Fixed-income securities in which the Trust may invest are generally subject to the following risks:

		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 Trust may be subject to a


		greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low interest rates. The U.S. Federal Reserve recently increased the federal funds rate and has indicated that it may raise the federal funds rate further and tighten the monetary supply in the near future. Therefore, there is a risk that interest rates will rise, which will likely drive down prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities. 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 Trust’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Trust, but will be reflected in the Trust’s NAV. The Trust may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by the Advisor. To the extent the Trust invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-related securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Trust) 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 NAV of the Trust 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. During periods in which the Trust may use leverage, such use of leverage will tend to increase the Trust’s interest rate risk. The Trust may utilize certain strategies, including taking positions in futures or interest rate swaps, for the purpose of reducing the interest rate sensitivity of fixed-income securities held by the Trust and decreasing the Trust’s exposure to interest rate risk. The Trust is not required to hedge its exposure to interest rate risk and may choose not to do so. In addition, there is no assurance that any attempts by the Trust to reduce interest rate risk will be successful or that any hedges that the Trust may establish will perfectly correlate with movements in interest rates. See “Risks—Fixed-Income Securities Risk—Interest Rate Risk.”

		Issuer Risk. The value of fixed-income securities may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services, historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of the assets of the issuer.

		Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that one or more fixed-income securities in the Trust’s portfolio will decline in price or fail to pay interest or principal when due because the issuer of the security experiences a decline in its financial status. Credit risk is increased when a portfolio security is downgraded or the perceived creditworthiness of the issuer deteriorates. To the extent the Trust invests in below investment grade securities, it will be exposed to


		a greater amount of credit risk than a fund that only invests in investment grade securities. See “Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.” In addition, to the extent the Trust uses credit derivatives, such use will expose it to additional risk in the event that the bonds underlying the derivatives default. The degree of credit risk depends on the issuer’s financial condition and on the terms of the securities.

		Prepayment Risk. During periods of declining interest rates, borrowers may exercise their option to prepay principal earlier than scheduled. For fixed rate securities, such payments often occur during periods of declining interest rates, forcing the Trust to reinvest in lower yielding securities, resulting in a possible decline in the Trust’s income and distributions to shareholders. This is known as prepayment or “call” risk. Below investment grade securities frequently have call features that allow the issuer to redeem the security at dates prior to its stated maturity at a specified price (typically greater than par) only if certain prescribed conditions are met (i.e., “call protection”). For premium bonds (bonds acquired at prices that exceed their par or principal value) purchased by the Trust, prepayment risk may be enhanced.

		Reinvestment Risk. Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Trust’s portfolio will decline if the Trust invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called fixed-income securities at market interest rates that are below the Trust portfolio’s current earnings rate.

		Duration and Maturity Risk. The Trust has no set policy regarding portfolio maturity or duration of the fixed-income securities it may hold. The Advisor may seek to adjust the portfolio’s duration or maturity based on its assessment of current and projected market conditions and all other factors that the Advisor deems relevant.

		Any decisions as to the targeted duration or maturity of any particular category of investments or of the Trust’s portfolio generally will be made based on all pertinent market factors at any given time. The Trust may incur costs in seeking to adjust the portfolio’s average duration or maturity. There can be no assurance that the Advisor’s assessment of current and projected market conditions will be correct or that any strategy to adjust the portfolio’s duration or maturity will be successful at any given time. In general, the longer the duration of any fixed-income securities in the Trust’s portfolio, the more exposure the Trust will have to the interest rate risks described above.

		Spread Risk. Wider credit spreads and decreasing market values typically represent a deterioration of a debt security’s credit soundness and a perceived greater likelihood of risk or default by the issuer.

		*Corporate Bonds Risk*. The market value of a corporate bond generally may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates. The market value of intermediate and longer term corporate bonds is generally more sensitive to changes in interest rates than


		is the market value of shorter term corporate bonds. The market value of a corporate bond also may be affected by factors directly related to the issuer, such as investors’ perceptions of the creditworthiness of the issuer, the issuer’s financial performance, perceptions of the issuer in the market place, performance of management of the issuer, the issuer’s capital structure and use of financial leverage and demand for the issuer’s goods and services. Certain risks associated with investments in corporate bonds are described elsewhere in this prospectus in further detail, including under “Risks—Fixed-Income Securities Risks—Credit Risk,” “Risks—Fixed-Income Securities Risks—Interest Rate Risk,” “Risks—Fixed-Income Securities Risks—Prepayment Risk,” “Risks—Inflation Risk” and “Risks—Deflation Risk.” There is a risk that the issuers of corporate bonds may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument. Corporate bonds of below investment grade quality are often high risk and have speculative characteristics and may be particularly susceptible to adverse issuer-specific developments. Corporate bonds of below investment grade quality are subject to the risks described herein under “Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.”

		*Below Investment Grade Securities Risk*. The Trust may invest in securities that are rated, at the time of investment, below investment grade quality (rated Ba/BB or below, or judged to be of comparable quality by the Advisor), which are commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due. The value of high yield, lower quality bonds is affected by the creditworthiness of the issuers of the securities and by general economic and specific industry conditions. Issuers of high yield bonds are not perceived to be as strong financially as those with higher credit ratings. These issuers are more vulnerable to financial setbacks and recession than more creditworthy issuers, which may impair their ability to make interest and principal payments. Lower grade securities may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns. It is likely that an economic recession could severely disrupt the market for such securities and may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it is likely that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default for such securities. The secondary market for lower grade securities may be less liquid than that for higher rated securities. Adverse conditions could make it difficult at times for the Trust to sell certain securities or could result in lower prices than those used in calculating the Trust’s NAV. Because of the substantial risks associated with investments in lower grade securities, you could lose money on your investment in common shares of the Trust, both in the short-term and the long-term. To the extent that the Trust invests in lower grade securities that have not been rated by a rating agency, the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives will be more dependent on the Advisor’s credit analysis than would be the case when the Trust invests in rated securities. See “Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.”


		*Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk*. Investments in the securities of financially distressed issuers are speculative and involve substantial risks. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Trust may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Trust may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Among the risks inherent in investments in a troubled entity is that it frequently may be difficult to obtain information as to the true financial condition of such issuer. The Advisor’s judgment about the credit quality of the issuer and the relative value and liquidity of its securities may prove to be wrong. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale.

		*Unrated Securities Risk*. Because the Trust may purchase securities that are not rated by any rating organization, the Advisor may, after assessing their credit quality, internally assign ratings to certain of those securities in categories similar to those of rating organizations. Some unrated securities may not have an active trading market or may be difficult to value, which means the Trust might have difficulty selling them promptly at an acceptable price. To the extent that the Trust invests in unrated securities, the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives will be more dependent on the Advisor’s credit analysis than would be the case when the Trust invests in rated securities.

		*U.S. Government Securities Risk.* U.S. Government debt securities generally involve lower levels of credit risk than other types of fixed-income securities of similar maturities, although, as a result, the yields available from U.S. Government debt securities are generally lower than the yields available from such other securities. Like other fixed-income securities, the values of U.S. Government securities change as interest rates fluctuate.

		*Leverage Risk*. The use of leverage creates an opportunity for increased common share net investment income dividends, but also creates risks for the holders of common shares. The Trust cannot assure you that the use of leverage, if employed, will result in a higher yield on the common shares. Any leveraging strategy the Trust employs may not be successful. Leverage involves risks and special considerations for common shareholders, including: • the likelihood of greater volatility of NAV, market price and dividend rate of the common shares than a comparable portfolio without leverage;


		• the risk that fluctuations in interest rates or dividend rates on any leverage that the Trust must pay will reduce the return to the common shareholders; • the effect of leverage in a declining market, which is likely to cause a greater decline in the NAV of the common shares than if the Trust were not leveraged, which may result in a greater decline in the market price of the common shares; • when the Trust uses financial leverage, the management fee payable to the Advisor will be higher than if the Trust did not use leverage; and • leverage may increase operating costs, which may reduce total return. The Trust currently does not intend to borrow money or issue debt securities or preferred shares, but may in the future borrow funds from banks or other financial institutions, or issue debt securities or preferred shares, as described in this prospectus. Certain types of leverage the Trust may use may result in the Trust being subject to covenants relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. The Trust may be subject to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for any debt securities or preferred shares issued by the Trust. The terms of any borrowings or these rating agency guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the Investment Company Act. The Advisor does not believe that these covenants or guidelines will impede it from managing the Trust’s portfolio in accordance with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies. See “Risks—Leverage Risk.”

		*Structured Investments Risks.* The Trust may invest in structured products, including structured notes, ELNs and other types of structured products. Holders of structured products bear the risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Trust 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. While certain structured products enable the investor to acquire interests in a pool of securities without the brokerage and other expenses associated with directly holding the same securities, investors in structured products generally pay their share of the structured product’s administrative and other expenses. Although it is difficult to predict whether the prices of indices and securities underlying structured products will rise or fall, these prices (and, therefore, the prices of structured products) will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect issuers of securities and capital markets generally. If the issuer of a structured product uses shorter term financing to


		purchase longer term securities, the issuer may be forced to sell its securities at below market prices if it experiences difficulty in obtaining such financing, which may adversely affect the value of the structured products owned by the Trust. See “Risks—Structured Investments Risks.”

		*Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk*. The Trust may engage in various Strategic Transactions for duration management and other risk management purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of the Trust’s portfolio resulting from trends in the securities markets and changes in interest rates or to protect the Trust’s unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of portfolio securities for investment purposes or to establish a position in the securities markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities or to enhance income or gain. Derivatives are financial contracts or instruments whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index (or relationship between two indices). The Trust also may use derivatives to add leverage to the portfolio and/or to hedge against increases in the Trust’s costs associated with any leverage strategy that it may employ. The use of Strategic Transactions to enhance current income may be particularly speculative. Strategic Transactions involve risks. The risks associated with Strategic Transactions include (i) the imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets, (ii) the possible default of the counterparty to the transaction, (iii) illiquidity of the derivative instruments, and (iv) high volatility losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited. Although both OTC and exchange-traded derivatives markets may experience a lack of liquidity, OTC non-standardized derivative transactions are generally less liquid than exchange-traded instruments. The illiquidity of the derivatives markets may be due to various factors, including congestion, disorderly markets, limitations on deliverable supplies, the participation of speculators, government regulation and intervention, and technical and operational or system failures. In addition, daily limits on price fluctuations and speculative position limits on exchanges on which the Trust may conduct its transactions in derivative instruments may prevent prompt liquidation of positions, subjecting the Trust to the potential of greater losses. Furthermore, the Trust’s ability to successfully use Strategic Transactions depends on the Advisor’s ability to predict pertinent securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors, which cannot be assured. The use of Strategic Transactions may result in losses greater than if they had not been used, may require the Trust to sell or purchase portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices other than current market values, may limit the amount of appreciation the Trust can realize on an investment or may cause the Trust to hold a security that it might otherwise sell. Additionally, segregated or earmarked liquid assets, amounts paid by the Trust as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to Strategic Transactions are not otherwise available to the Trust for investment purposes.


		Many OTC derivatives are valued on the basis of dealers’ pricing of these instruments. However, the price at which dealers value a particular derivative and the price that the same dealers would actually be willing to pay for such derivative should the Trust wish or be forced to sell such position may be materially different. Such differences can result in an overstatement of the Trust’s NAV and may materially adversely affect the Trust in situations in which the Trust is required to sell derivative instruments. Exchange-traded derivatives and OTC derivative transactions submitted for clearing through a central counterparty have become subject to minimum initial and variation margin requirements set by the relevant clearinghouse, as well as possible margin requirements mandated by the SEC or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). The CFTC and federal banking regulators also have imposed margin requirements on non-cleared OTC derivatives, and the SEC has proposed (but not yet finalized) such non-cleared margin requirements. As applicable, margin requirements will increase the overall costs for the Trust. See “Risks—Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk.”

		Counterparty Risk. The Trust will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties to the derivative contracts purchased by the Trust. Because derivative transactions in which the Trust may engage may involve instruments that are not traded on an exchange or cleared through a central counterparty but are instead traded between counterparties based on contractual relationships, the Trust is subject to the risk that a counterparty will not perform its obligations under the related contracts. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, the Trust may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in bankruptcy or other reorganization proceedings. The Trust may obtain only a limited recovery, or may obtain no recovery, in such circumstances. Although the Trust intends to enter into transactions only with counterparties that the Advisor believes to be creditworthy, there can be no assurance that, as a result, a counterparty will not default and that the Trust will not sustain a loss on a transaction. In the event of the counterparty’s bankruptcy or insolvency, the Trust’s collateral may be subject to the conflicting claims of the counterparty’s creditors, and the Trust may be exposed to the risk of a court treating the Trust as a general unsecured creditor of the counterparty, rather than as the owner of the collateral. See “Risks—Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk—Counterparty Risk.”

		Swaps Risk. Swaps are a type of derivative. Swap agreements involve the risk that the party with which the Trust has entered into the swap will default on its obligation to pay the Trust and the risk that the Trust will not be able to meet its obligations to pay the other party to the agreement. In order to seek to hedge the value of the Trust’s portfolio, to hedge against increases in the Trust’s cost associated with interest payments on any outstanding


		borrowings or to seek to increase the Trust’s return, the Trust may enter into swaps, including interest rate swap, total return swap (sometimes referred to as a “contract for difference”) and/or credit default swap transactions. In interest rate swap transactions, there is a risk that yields will move in the direction opposite of the direction anticipated by the Trust, which would cause the Trust to make payments to its counterparty in the transaction that could adversely affect Trust performance. In addition to the risks applicable to swaps generally (including counterparty risk, high volatility, illiquidity risk and credit risk), credit default swap transactions involve special risks because they are difficult to value, are highly susceptible to liquidity and credit risk, and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty). Credit default and total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Trust’s portfolio because, in addition to its Managed Assets, the Trust would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Total return swap agreements are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to the Trust thereunder. The Trust is not required to enter into swap transactions for hedging purposes or to enhance income or gain and may choose not to do so. In addition, the swaps market is subject to a changing regulatory environment. It is possible that regulatory or other developments in the swaps market could adversely affect the Trust’s ability to successfully use swaps. See “Risks—Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk—Swaps Risk.”

		*Risk Associated with Recent Market Events*. The global financial crisis that began in 2008 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities and unprecedented volatility in the markets. Periods of market volatility remain, and may continue to occur in the future, in response to various political, social and economic events both within and outside of the United States. These conditions have resulted in, and in many cases continue to result in, greater price volatility, less liquidity, widening credit spreads and a lack of price transparency, with many securities remaining illiquid and of uncertain value. Such market conditions may adversely affect the Trust, including by making valuation of some of the Trust’s securities uncertain and/or result in sudden and significant valuation increases or declines in the Trust’s holdings. If there is a significant decline in the value of the Trust’s portfolio, this may impact the asset coverage levels for any outstanding leverage the Trust may have. Risks resulting from any future debt or other economic crisis could also have a detrimental impact on the global economic recovery, the financial condition of financial institutions and the Trust’s business, financial condition and results of operation. Market and economic disruptions have affected, and may in the future affect, consumer confidence levels and spending, personal bankruptcy rates, levels of incurrence and default on consumer debt and home prices, among other factors. To the extent


		uncertainty regarding the U.S. or global economy negatively impacts consumer confidence and consumer credit factors, the Trust’s business, financial condition and results of operations could be significantly and adversely affected. Downgrades to the credit ratings of major banks could result in increased borrowing costs for such banks and negatively affect the broader economy. Moreover, Federal Reserve policy, including with respect to certain interest rates, may also adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend- and interest-paying securities. Market volatility, rising interest rates and/or unfavorable economic conditions could impair the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives.

		*Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk*. The occurrence of events similar to those in recent years, such as the aftermath of the war in Iraq, instability in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, ongoing epidemics of infectious diseases in certain parts of the world, terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world, social and political discord, debt crises (such as the Greek crisis), sovereign debt downgrades, increasingly strained relations between the United States and a number of foreign countries, including traditional allies, such as certain European countries, and historical adversaries, such as North Korea, Iran, China and Russia, and the international community generally, new and continued political unrest in various countries, such as Venezuela and Spain, the exit or potential exit of one or more countries from the European Union (the “EU”) or the European Monetary Union (the “EMU”), continued changes in the balance of political power among and within the branches of the U.S. government, among others, may result in market volatility, may have long term effects on the U.S. and worldwide financial markets, and may cause further economic uncertainties in the United States and worldwide. The decision made in the British referendum of June 23, 2016 to leave the EU (“Brexit”) has led to volatility in the financial markets of the United Kingdom and more broadly across Europe and may also lead to weakening in consumer, corporate and financial confidence in such markets. The formal notification to the European Council required under Article 50 of the Treaty on EU was made on March 29, 2017, triggering a two year period during which the terms of exit are to be negotiated. Pursuant to an agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU, the date of Brexit has been extended to October 31, 2019. The longer term economic, legal, political and social framework to be put in place between the United Kingdom and the EU are unclear at this stage and are likely to lead to ongoing political and economic uncertainty and periods of exacerbated volatility in both the United Kingdom and in wider European markets for some time. In particular, the decision made in Brexit may lead to a call for similar referendums in other European jurisdictions which may cause increased economic volatility in the European and global markets. This mid- to long-term uncertainty may have an adverse effect on the economy generally and on the ability of the Trust to execute its strategies and to receive attractive returns. In particular, currency volatility may mean that the returns of the Trust and its


		investments are adversely affected by market movements and may make it more difficult, or more expensive, for the Trust to execute prudent currency hedging policies. Potential decline in the value of the British Pound and/or the Euro against other currencies, along with the potential downgrading of the United Kingdom’s sovereign credit rating, may also have an impact on the performance of portfolio companies or investments located in the United Kingdom or Europe. In light of the above, no definitive assessment can currently be made regarding the impact that Brexit will have on the Trust, its investments or its organization more generally. The occurrence of any of these above events could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Trust’s portfolio. The Trust does not know how long the securities markets may be affected by similar events and cannot predict the effects of similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets. There can be no assurance that similar events and other market disruptions will not have other material and adverse implications. See “Risks—Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk.”

		*Regulation and Government Intervention Risk.* The U.S. Government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments, have in the past taken actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility. The withdrawal of Federal Reserve or other U.S. or non-U.S. governmental support could negatively affect financial markets generally and reduce the value and liquidity of certain securities. Additionally, with continued economic recovery and the cessation of certain market support activities, the Trust may face a heightened level of interest rate risk as a result of a rise or increased volatility in interest rates. Federal, state, and other governments, their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the issuers in which the Trust invests in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Trust is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives. See “Risks—Regulation and Government Intervention Risk.”

		*Legal, Tax and Regulatory Risks.* Legal, tax and regulatory changes could occur that may have material adverse effects on the Trust. For example, the regulatory and tax environment for derivative instruments in which the Trust may participate is evolving, and such changes in the regulation or taxation of derivative instruments may have material adverse effects on the value of derivative instruments held by the Trust and the ability of the Trust to pursue its investment strategies. To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to regulated investment companies (“RICs”), the Trust must, among other things, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources and

distribute for each taxable year at least 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (generally, ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss). If for any taxable year the Trust does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income for that year (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Trust’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.

The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and the U.S. Treasury Department. The recently enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) makes substantial changes to the Code. Among those changes are a significant permanent reduction in the generally applicable corporate tax rate, changes in the taxation of individuals and other non-corporate taxpayers that generally but not universally reduce their taxes on a temporary basis subject to “sunset” provisions, the elimination or modification of various previously allowed deductions (including substantial limitations on the deductibility of interest and, in the case of individuals, the deduction for personal state and local taxes), certain additional limitations on the deduction of net operating losses, certain preferential rates of taxation on certain dividends and certain business income derived by non-corporate taxpayers in comparison to other ordinary income recognized by such taxpayers, and significant changes to the international tax rules. The effect of these, and the many other, changes made in the Tax Act is highly uncertain, both in terms of their direct effect on the taxation of an investment in our common shares and their indirect effect on the value of our assets or our common shares or market conditions generally. Furthermore, many of the provisions of the Tax Act will require guidance through the issuance of Treasury regulations in order to assess their effect. There may be a substantial delay before such regulations are promulgated, increasing the uncertainty as to the ultimate effect of the statutory amendments on the Trust. There also may be technical corrections legislation proposed with respect to the Tax Act, the effect of which cannot be predicted and may be adverse to the Trust or its shareholders. See “Risks—Legal, Tax and Regulatory Risks.”

Potential Conflicts of Interest of the Advisor and Others. The investment activities of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”), the ultimate parent company of the Advisor, and its affiliates (including BlackRock and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Affiliates”)) and their directors, officers and employees and of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (which, through a subsidiary, has a significant economic interest in BlackRock) and its subsidiaries (each with The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., an “Entity” and collectively, the “Entities”) in the management of, or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Trust and its shareholders. BlackRock, its Affiliates and the Entities provide investment management services to other funds and discretionary managed accounts that


		may follow investment programs similar to that of the Trust. Subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act, BlackRock, its Affiliates and the Entities intend to engage in such activities and may receive compensation from third parties for their services. None of BlackRock, its Affiliates or the Entities are under any obligation to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Trust. As a result, BlackRock, its Affiliates and the Entities may compete with the Trust for appropriate investment opportunities. The results of the Trust’s investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of an Affiliate, and Entity or another account managed by an Affiliate or an Entity and it is possible that the Trust could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates, Entities and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to address potential conflicts of interests. For additional information about potential conflicts of interest and the way in which BlackRock addresses such conflicts, please see “Conflicts of Interest” and “Management of the Trust—Portfolio Management—Potential Material Conflicts of Interest” in the SAI.

		*Anti-Takeover Provisions Risk*. The Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Trust or convert the Trust to open-end status or to change the composition of the Board. Such provisions could limit the ability of shareholders to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Trust. See “Certain Provisions in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws.”

The following table shows estimated Trust expenses as a percentage of net assets attributable to common shares. The purpose of the following table and the example below is to help you understand all fees and expenses that you, as a holder of common shares, would bear directly or indirectly. The expenses shown in the table under “Estimated Annual Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the Trust’s first full year of operations and assume that the Trust issues [●] common shares (representing an aggregate public offering price of $[●]). The Trust currently does not intend to borrow money or issue debt securities or preferred shares. See “Management of the Trust” and “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.” The following table should not be considered a representation of our future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than shown and, all other things being equal, will increase as a percentage of net assets attributable to common shares if the Trust issues fewer than [●] common shares. Except where the context suggests otherwise, whenever this prospectus contains a reference to fees or expenses paid by “you” or “us” or that “we” will pay fees or expenses, shareholders will indirectly bear such fees or expenses as investors in the Trust.

The following example illustrates the expenses that you would pay on a $1,000 investment in common shares, assuming (i) total net annual expenses of [●]% of net assets attributable to common shares, and (ii) a 5% annual return:

The example should not be considered a representation of future expenses. The example assumes that the estimated “Other expenses” set forth in the Estimated Annual Expenses table are accurate and that all dividends and distributions are reinvested at NAV. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those assumed. Moreover, the Trust’s actual rate of return may be greater or less than the hypothetical 5% return shown in the example.

The Trust is a newly organized, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act. The Trust was organized as a Maryland statutory trust on August 14, 2019, pursuant to a Certificate of Trust, governed by the laws of the State of Maryland. The Trust has no operating history. The Trust’s principal office is located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, and its telephone number is (800) 882-0052.

The net proceeds of the offering of common shares will be approximately $[●] ($[●] if the Underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full). The Advisor has agreed to pay all of the Trust’s organizational expenses and all offering costs associated with this offering, which amount to a total of $[●]. The Trust is not obligated to repay any such organizational expenses or offering costs paid by the Advisor. The Trust will invest the net proceeds of the offering in accordance with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies as stated below. We currently anticipate that we will be able to invest all of the net proceeds in accordance with our investment objectives and policies within approximately three months after the completion of this offering. Pending such investment, it is anticipated that the proceeds will be invested in short-term investment grade securities.

Investment Objectives. The Trust’s investment objectives are to provide total return and income through a combination of current income, current gains and long-term capital appreciation. The Trust is not intended as, and you should not construe it to be, a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Trust’s investment objectives will be achieved or that the Trust’s investment program will be successful. The Trust’s investment objectives may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval.

Investment Strategy. The Advisor believes that the knowledge and experience of its Health Sciences Team enable it to evaluate the macro environment and assess its impact on the various sub-sectors within the health sciences industry. Within this framework, the Advisor identifies stocks with attractive characteristics, evaluates the use of options and provides ongoing portfolio risk management.

The top-down or macro component of the investment process is designed to assess the various interrelated macro variables affecting the health sciences industry as a whole. The Advisor evaluates health sciences sub-sectors (i.e., pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare services, etc.). Selection of sub-sectors within the health sciences industry is a result of both the Advisor’s sub-sector analysis, as well as the Advisor’s bottom-up fundamental company analysis. Risk/reward analysis is a key component of both top-down and bottom-up analysis.

Bottom-up security selection is focused on identifying companies with the most attractive characteristics within each sub-sector of the health sciences industry. The Advisor seeks to identify companies with strong product potential, solid earnings growth and/or earnings power which are under appreciated by investors, a quality management team and compelling relative and absolute valuation. The Advisor believes that the knowledge and experience of its Health Sciences Team enables it to identify attractive health sciences securities.

The Advisor intends to utilize option strategies that consist of writing (selling) call options on a portion of the common stocks in the Trust, as well as other option strategies such as writing other calls and puts or using options to manage risk. The portfolio management team will work closely to determine which option strategies to pursue to seek to generate current gains from options premiums and to enhance the Trust’s risk-adjusted returns.

Investment Policies. Under normal market conditions, the Trust will invest at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities of companies engaged in the health sciences and related industries and equity derivatives with exposure to the health sciences industry. Equity derivatives in which the Trust invests as part of this non-fundamental investment policy include purchased and sold (written) call and put options on equity securities of companies in the health sciences and related industries.

Companies in the health sciences industry include health care providers as well as businesses involved in researching, developing, producing, distributing or delivering medical, dental, optical, pharmaceutical or biotechnology products, supplies, equipment or services or that provide support services to these companies. These companies also include those that own or operate health facilities and hospitals or provide related administrative, management or financial support. Other health sciences industries in which the Trust may invest include: clinical testing laboratories; diagnostics; hospital, laboratory or physician ancillary products and support services; rehabilitation services; employer health insurance management services; and vendors of goods and services specifically to companies engaged in the health sciences. The Advisor determines, in its discretion, whether a company is engaged in the health sciences and related industries.

While the Trust will invest primarily in companies providing products and services for human health, it may also invest in companies whose products or services relate to the growth or survival of animals and plants. Non-human health sciences industries include companies engaged in the development, production or distribution of products or services that: increase crop, animal and animal product yields by enhancing growth or increasing disease resistance, improve agricultural product characteristics, such as taste, appearance, nutritional content and shelf life; reduce the cost of producing agricultural products; or improve pet health.

The Trust may invest in companies of any market capitalization located anywhere in the world, including companies located in emerging markets. The Trust will focus its investments in mid-and small-capitalization companies. Foreign securities in which the Trust may invest may be U.S. dollar-denominated or non-U.S. dollar-denominated.

The Trust invests primarily in equity securities, including common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, warrants and depository receipts, of issuers engaged in the health sciences or related industries and equity interests in REITs that own hospitals.

The Trust may invest in shares of companies through IPOs. The Trust may also invest, without limit, in privately placed or restricted securities (including in Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities purchased by qualified institutional buyers), illiquid securities and securities in which no secondary market is readily available, including those of private companies. Issuers of these securities may not have a class of securities registered, and may not be subject to periodic reporting, pursuant to the Exchange Act. Under normal market conditions, the Trust currently intends to invest up to 25% of its total assets, measured at the time of investment, in such securities. The Trust expects certain of such investments to be in “pre-IPO securities,” which are securities of new and early stage companies, often funded by venture capital, whose securities have not been offered to the public and are not publicly traded.

The Trust may invest up to 20% of its total assets in other investments, including equity securities issued by companies that are not engaged in the health sciences and related industries and debt securities issued by any issuer, including non-investment grade securities. The Trust’s investments in non-investment grade securities and those deemed to be of similar quality are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal and are commonly referred to as “junk” or “high yield” securities. The Trust has no set policy regarding portfolio maturity or duration of the fixed-income securities it may hold, and such securities may be of any maturity.

As part of its investment strategy, the Trust intends to employ a strategy of writing (selling) covered call options on a portion of the common stocks in its portfolio, writing (selling) other call and put options on individual common stocks, and, to a lesser extent, writing (selling) call and put index options. This options writing strategy is intended to generate current gains from options premiums and to enhance the Trust’s risk-adjusted returns. A substantial portion of the options written by the Trust may be OTC options.

During temporary defensive periods (i.e., in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions), the Trust may invest up to 100% of its total assets in liquid, short-term investments, including high quality, short-term securities. The Trust may not achieve its investment objectives under these circumstances. See “Investment Policies and Techniques—Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Debt Securities” in the SAI. The Advisor’s determination that it is temporarily unable to follow the Trust’s investment strategy or that it is impractical to do so will generally occur only in situations in which a market disruption event has occurred and where trading in the securities selected through application of the Trust’s investment strategy is extremely limited or absent.

The Trust may engage in Strategic Transactions for duration management and other risk management purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of the Trust’s portfolio resulting from trends in the securities markets and changes in interest rates or to protect the Trust’s unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of portfolio securities for investment purposes, to establish a position in the securities markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities or to enhance income or gain. See “—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—Strategic Transactions and Other Management Techniques.”

The Trust may also invest in securities of other open-or closed-end investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and business development companies (“BDCs”), subject to applicable regulatory limits, that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Trust may invest directly. The Trust classifies its investments in such investment companies as “equity securities” for purposes of its investment policies based upon such investment companies’ stated investment objectives, policies and restrictions.

The Trust may lend securities with a value of up to 33 1/3% of its total assets (including such loans) to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral.

The Trust may also engage in short sales of securities. The Trust will not make a short sale if, after giving effect to such sale, the market value of all securities sold short exceeds 25% of the value of its Managed Assets or the Trust’s aggregate short sales of a particular class of securities exceeds 25% of the outstanding securities of that class. The Trust may make short sales “against the box” without respect to such limitations. In this type of short sale, at the time of the sale the Trust owns or has the immediate and unconditional right to acquire at no additional cost the identical security.

Unless otherwise stated herein or in the SAI, the Trust’s investment policies are non-fundamental policies and may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval. The percentage limitations applicable to the Trust’s portfolio described in this prospectus apply only at the time of initial investment and the Trust will not be required to sell investments due to subsequent changes in the value of investments that it owns. The Trust’s investment objectives may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval; however, the Trust will not change its policy of investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities of companies engaged in the health sciences and related industries and equity derivatives with exposure to the health sciences industry unless it provides shareholders at least 60 days’ written notice before implementation of the change in compliance with SEC rules.

The Trust’s portfolio will be composed principally of the following investments. Additional information with respect to the Trust’s investment policies and restrictions and certain of the Trust’s portfolio investments is contained in the SAI. There is no guarantee the Trust will buy all of the types of securities or use all of the investment techniques that are described herein and in the SAI.

Equity Securities. The Trust invests in equity securities, including common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, warrants and depositary receipts and equity interests in REITs. Common stock represents an equity ownership interest in a company. The Trust may hold or have exposure to common stocks of issuers of any size, including small and medium capitalization stocks. Because the Trust will ordinarily have exposure to common stocks, historical trends would indicate that the Trust’s portfolio and investment returns will be subject at times, and over time, to higher levels of volatility and market and issuer-specific risk than if it invested exclusively in debt securities. The Trust intends to also employ a strategy, as described below, of writing call and put options on common stocks.

Options. An option on a security is a contract that gives the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the security underlying the option at a specified exercise or “strike” price. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security. Certain options, known as “American style” options may be exercised at any time during the term of the option. Other options, known as “European style” options, may be exercised only on the expiration date of the option. As the writer of an option, the Trust would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its Managed Assets, the Trust would be subject to investment exposure on the value of the assets underlying the option.

If an option written by the Trust expires unexercised, the Trust realizes on the expiration date a capital gain equal to the premium received by the Trust at the time the option was written. If an option purchased by the Trust expires unexercised, the Trust realizes a capital loss equal to the premium paid. Prior to the earlier of exercise or expiration, an exchange-traded option may be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series (type, underlying security, exercise price and expiration). There can be no assurance, however, that a closing purchase or sale transaction can be effected when the Trust desires. The Trust may sell call or put options it has previously purchased, which could result in a net gain or loss depending on whether the amount realized on the sale is more or less than the premium and other transaction costs paid on the call or put option when purchased. The Trust will realize a capital gain from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the closing transaction is less than the premium received from writing the option, or, if it is more, the Trust will realize a capital loss. If the premium received from a closing sale transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, the Trust will realize a capital gain or, if it is less, the Trust will realize a capital loss. Net gains from the Trust’s options strategy will be short-term capital gains which, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, will constitute net investment company taxable income.

Call Options. The Trust intends to follow a call options writing strategy intended to generate current gains from options premiums and to enhance the Trust’s risk-adjusted returns. The strategy involves writing both covered and other call options. A call option written by the Trust on a security is considered a covered call option where the Trust owns the security underlying the call option. Unlike a written covered call option, other written options will not provide the Trust with any potential appreciation on an underlying security to offset any loss the Trust may experience if the option is exercised.

For any written call option where the Trust does not own the underlying security, the Trust may have an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security upon conversion or exchange of other securities held by the

Trust without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, cash or liquid securities in such amount are segregated on the Trust’s books) or the Trust may hold a call on the same security where the exercise price of the call held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the call written, provided cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the difference is segregated on the Trust’s books.

The standard contract size for a single option is 100 shares of the common stock. There are four items needed to identify any option: (1) the underlying security, (2) the expiration month, (3) the strike price and (4) the type (call or put). For example, ten XYZ Co. October 40 call options provide the right to purchase 1,000 shares of XYZ Co. on or before October at $40.00 per share. A call option whose strike price is above the current price of the underlying stock is called “out-of-the-money.” Most of the options that will be sold by the Trust are expected to be out-of-the-money, allowing for potential appreciation in addition to the proceeds from the sale of the option. An option whose strike price is below the current price of the underlying stock is called “in-the-money” and could be sold by the Trust as a defensive measure to protect against a possible decline in the underlying stock.

The following is a conceptual example of a covered call transaction, making the following assumptions: (1) a common stock currently trading at $37.15 per share; (2) a six-month call option is written with a strike price of $40.00 (i.e., 7.7% higher than the current market price); and (3) the writer receives $2.45 (or 6.6%) of the common stock’s value as a premium. This example is not meant to represent the performance of any actual common stock, option contract or the Trust itself and does not reflect any transaction costs of entering into or closing out the option position. Under this scenario, before giving effect to any change in the price of the stock, the covered call writer receives the premium, representing 6.6% of the common stock’s value, regardless of the stock’s performance over the six-month period until option expiration. If the stock remains unchanged, the option will expire and there would be a 6.6% return for the six-month period. If the stock were to decline in price by 6.6%, the strategy would “break-even” thus offering no gain or loss. If the stock were to climb to a price of $40.00 or above, the option would be exercised and the stock would return 7.7% coupled with the option premium of 6.6% for a total return of 14.3%. Under this scenario, the investor would not benefit from any appreciation of the stock above $40.00, and thus be limited to a 14.3% total return. The premium from writing the covered call option serves to offset some of the unrealized loss on the stock in the event that the price of the stock declines, but if the stock were to decline more than 6.6% under this scenario, the investor’s downside protection is eliminated and the stock could eventually become worthless.

For conventional listed call options, the option’s expiration date can be up to nine months from the date the call options are first listed for trading. Longer-term call options can have expiration dates up to three years from the date of listing. It is anticipated that, under certain circumstances when deemed at the Advisor’s discretion to be in the best interest of the Trust, options that are written against Trust stock holdings will be repurchased prior to the option’s expiration date, generating a gain or loss in the options. If the options were not to be repurchased, the option holder would exercise their rights and buy the stock from the Trust at the strike price if the stock traded at a higher price than the strike price. In general, when deemed at the Advisor’s discretion to be in the best interests of the Trust, the Trust may enter into transactions, including closing transactions, that would allow it to continue to hold its common stocks rather than allowing them to be called away by the option holders.

Put Options. Put options are contracts that give the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to sell to the writer of the option the security underlying the option at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. Put option strategies may produce a higher return than covered call writing, but may involve a higher degree of risk and potential volatility.

When writing a put option on a security, the Trust will segregate on its books cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the option exercise price or the Trust may hold a put option on the same security as the put written where the exercise price of the put held is (i) equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the put written, provided an amount equal to the difference in cash or liquid securities is segregated on the Trust’s books. Unlike a covered call option, a put option written in this manner will not provide the Trust with any appreciation to offset any loss the Trust experiences if the put option is exercised.

The following is a conceptual example of a put transaction, making the following assumptions: (1) a common stock currently trading at $37.15 per share; (2) a six-month put option written with a strike price of $35.00 (i.e.,

94.21% of the current market price); and (3) the writer receives $1.10 or 2.96% of the common stock’s value as a premium. This example is not meant to represent the performance of any actual common stock, option contract or the Trust itself and does not reflect any transaction costs of entering into or closing out the option position. Under this scenario, before giving effect to any change in the price of the stock, the put writer receives the premium, representing 2.96% of the common stock’s value, regardless of the stock’s performance over the six-month period until the option expires. If the stock remains unchanged, appreciates in value or declines less than 5.79% in value, the option will expire and there would be a 2.96% return for the six-month period. If the stock were to decline by 5.79% or more, the Trust would lose an amount equal to the amount by which the stock’s price declined minus the premium paid to the Trust. The stock’s price could lose its entire value, in which case the Trust would lose $33.90 ($35.00 minus $1.10).

Options on Indices. The Trust may write index call and put options. Because “index options” includes both options on indices of securities and sectors of securities, all types of index options generally have similar characteristics. Index options differ from options on individual securities because (i) the exercise of an index option requires cash payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities, (ii) the holder of an index option has the right to receive cash upon exercise of the option if the level of the index upon which the option is based is greater, in the case of a call, or less, in the case of a put, than the exercise price of the option and (iii) index options reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segments of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.

As the writer of an index call or put option, the Trust receives cash (the premium) from the purchaser. The purchaser of an index call option has the right to any appreciation in the value of the index over a fixed price (the exercise price) on or before a certain date in the future (the expiration date). The purchaser of an index put option has the right to any depreciation in the value of the index below a fixed price (the exercise price) on or before a certain date in the future (the expiration date). The Trust, in effect, agrees to sell the potential appreciation (in the case of a call) or accept the potential depreciation (in the case of a put) in the value of the relevant index in exchange for the premium. If, at or before expiration, the purchaser exercises the call or put option written by the Trust, the Trust will pay the purchaser the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price of the index option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the index determine the gain or loss realized by the Trust as the writer of the index call or put option.

The Trust may execute a closing purchase transaction with respect to an index option it has sold and write another option (with either a different exercise price or expiration date or both). The Trust’s objective in entering into such a closing transaction will be to optimize net index option premiums. The cost of a closing transaction may reduce the net index option premiums realized from writing the index option.

When writing an index put option, the Trust will segregate on its books cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the exercise price, or the Trust may hold a put on the same basket of securities as the put written where the exercise price of the put held is (i) equal to or more than the exercise price of the put written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the put written, provided an amount equal to the difference in cash or liquid securities is segregated on the Trust’s books. When writing an index call option, the Trust will segregate on its books cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the excess of the value of the applicable basket of securities over the exercise price, or the Trust may hold a call on the same basket of securities as the call written where the exercise price of the call held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the call written, provided an amount equal to the difference in cash or liquid securities is segregated on the Trust’s books.

Limitation on Options Writing Strategy. The Trust may write put and call options, the notional amount of which would be approximately 10% to 40% of the Trust’s total assets, although this percentage may vary from time to time with market conditions. Under current market conditions, the Trust anticipates initially writing put and call options, the notional amount of which would be approximately 25% of the Trust’s total assets. The Trust generally writes options that are “out of the money” — in other words, the strike price of a written call option will be greater than the market price of the underlying security on the date that the option is written, or, for a written put option, less than the market price of the underlying security on the date that the option is written; however, the Trust may also write “in the money” options for defensive or other purposes. The number of put and call options on securities the Trust can write is limited by the total assets the Trust holds, and further limited by the fact that all options represent 100 share lots of the underlying common stock.

The Trust’s exchange-listed option transactions will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded. These limitations govern the maximum number of options in each class which may be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities or are held or written in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which the Trust may write or purchase may be affected by options written or purchased by other investment advisory clients of the Advisor. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.

Preferred Securities. The Trust may invest in preferred securities. There are two basic types of preferred securities. The first type, sometimes referred to as traditional preferred securities, consists of preferred stock issued by an entity taxable as a corporation. The second type, sometimes referred to as trust preferred securities, are usually issued by a trust or limited partnership and represent preferred interests in deeply subordinated debt instruments issued by the corporation for whose benefit the trust or partnership was established.

Traditional Preferred Securities. Traditional preferred securities generally pay fixed or adjustable rate dividends to investors and generally have a “preference” over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of a company’s assets. This means that a company must pay dividends on preferred stock before paying any dividends on its common stock. In order to be payable, distributions on such preferred securities must be declared by the issuer’s board of directors. Income payments on typical preferred securities currently outstanding are cumulative, causing dividends and distributions to accumulate even if not declared by the board of directors or otherwise made payable. In such a case all accumulated dividends must be paid before any dividend on the common stock can be paid. However, some traditional preferred stocks are non-cumulative, in which case dividends do not accumulate and need not ever be paid. A portion of the portfolio may include investments in non-cumulative preferred securities, whereby the issuer does not have an obligation to make up any arrearages to its shareholders. Should an issuer of a non-cumulative preferred stock held by the Trust determine not to pay dividends on such stock, the amount of dividends the Trust pays may be adversely affected. There is no assurance that dividends or distributions on the preferred securities in which the Trust invests will be declared or otherwise made payable.

Preferred stockholders usually have no right to vote for corporate directors or on other matters. Shares of preferred stock have a liquidation value that generally equals the original purchase price at the date of issuance. The market value of preferred securities may be affected by favorable and unfavorable changes impacting companies in the utilities and financial services sectors, which are prominent issuers of preferred securities, and by actual and anticipated changes in tax laws, such as changes in corporate income tax rates or the “Dividends Received Deduction.” Because the claim on an issuer’s earnings represented by preferred securities may become onerous when interest rates fall below the rate payable on such securities, the issuer may redeem the securities. Thus, in declining interest rate environments in particular, the Trust’s holdings, if any, of higher rate-paying fixed rate preferred securities may be reduced and the Trust may be unable to acquire securities of comparable credit quality paying comparable rates with the redemption proceeds.

Trust Preferred Securities. Trust preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest-bearing notes with preferred security characteristics, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The trust preferred securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates.

Trust preferred securities are typically junior and fully subordinated liabilities of an issuer or the beneficiary of a guarantee that is junior and fully subordinated to the other liabilities of the guarantor. In addition, trust preferred securities typically permit an issuer to defer the payment of income for eighteen months or more without triggering an event of default. Generally, the deferral period is five years or more. Because of their subordinated position in the capital structure of an issuer, the ability to defer payments for extended periods of time without default consequences to the issuer, and certain other features (such as restrictions on common dividend payments by the issuer or ultimate guarantor when full cumulative payments on the trust preferred securities have not been made), these trust preferred securities are often treated as close substitutes for traditional preferred securities, both by issuers and investors. Trust preferred securities have many of the key characteristics of equity due to their subordinated position in an issuer’s capital structure and because their quality and value are heavily dependent on the profitability of the issuer rather than on any legal claims to specific assets or cash flows.

Convertible Securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock or other equity security of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to nonconvertible income securities in that they ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower yields than comparable nonconvertible securities. The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors also may have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible securities. Convertible securities may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument.

A “synthetic” or “manufactured” convertible security may be created by the Trust or by a third party by combining separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security: an income producing component and a convertible component. The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred stocks and money market instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security having a single market value, a synthetic convertible comprises two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Because the “market value” of a synthetic convertible security is the sum of the values of its income-producing component and its convertible component, the value of a synthetic convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations than a traditional convertible security. The Trust also may purchase synthetic convertible securities created by other parties, including convertible structured notes. Convertible structured notes are income-producing debentures linked to equity. Convertible structured notes have the attributes of a convertible security; however, the issuer of the convertible note (typically an investment bank), rather than the issuer of the underlying common stock into which the note is convertible, assumes credit risk associated with the underlying investment and the Trust in turn assumes credit risk associated with the issuer of the convertible note.

Warrants. Warrants are instruments issued by corporations enabling the owners to subscribe to and purchase a specified number of shares of the corporation at a specified price during a specified period of time. Warrants normally have a short life span to expiration. The purchase of warrants involves the risk that the Trust could lose the purchase value of a warrant if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the warrants’ expiration. Also, the purchase of warrants involves the risk that the effective price paid for the warrant added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security.

Depositary Receipts. The Trust may invest in sponsored and unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs and other similar global instruments. ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or trust company and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a non-U.S. corporation. EDRs, which are sometimes referred to as Continental Depositary Receipts, are receipts issued in Europe, typically by non-U.S. banks and trust companies, that evidence ownership of either non-U.S. or domestic underlying securities. GDRs are depositary receipts structured like global debt issues to facilitate trading on an international basis.

REITs. REITs are subject to certain risks which differ from an investment in common stocks. REITs are financial vehicles that pool investors’ capital to purchase or finance real estate. REITs may concentrate their investments in specific geographic areas or in specific property types (e.g., hotels, shopping malls, residential complexes and office buildings). The market value of REIT shares and the ability of REITs to distribute income may be adversely affected by several factors, including rising interest rates, changes in the national, state and local economic climate and real estate conditions, perceptions of prospective tenants of the safety, convenience and attractiveness of the properties, the ability of the owners to provide adequate management, maintenance and

insurance, the cost of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act, increased competition from new properties, the impact of present or future environmental legislation and compliance with environmental laws, changes in real estate taxes and other operating expenses, adverse changes in governmental rules and fiscal policies, adverse changes in zoning laws and other factors beyond the control of the REIT issuers. In addition, distributions received by the Trust from REITs may consist of dividends, capital gains and/or return of capital. As REITs generally pay a higher rate of dividends (on a pre-tax basis) than operating companies, to the extent application of the Trust’s investment strategy results in the Trust investing in REIT shares, the percentage of the Trust’s dividend income received from REIT shares will likely exceed the percentage of the Trust’s portfolio which is comprised of REIT shares. There are three general categories of REITs: equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest primarily in direct fee ownership or leasehold ownership of real property; they derive most of their income from rents. Mortgage REITs invest mostly in mortgages on real estate, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans, and the main source of their income is mortgage interest payments. Hybrid REITs hold both ownership and mortgage interests in real estate.

Restricted and Illiquid Investments. The Trust may invest without limitation in illiquid or less liquid investments or investments in which no secondary market is readily available or which are otherwise illiquid, including private placement securities. Liquidity of an investment relates to the ability to dispose easily of the investment and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the investment, which may be less than would be obtained for a comparable more liquid investment. “Illiquid investments” are investments which cannot be sold within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value used by the Trust in determining its NAV. Illiquid investments may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments. Illiquid investments are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on disposition or lack an established secondary trading market. Investment of the Trust’s assets in illiquid investments may restrict the ability of the Trust to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and for a fair price as well as its ability to take advantage of market opportunities.

Private Company Investments. At any given time the Trust anticipates making investments in carefully selected private company investments that the Trust may need to hold for several years or longer. The Trust expects certain of such investments to be in “pre-IPO securities,” which are securities of new and early stage companies, often funded by venture capital, whose securities have not been offered to the public and are not publicly traded. The Trust may invest in equity securities or debt securities, including debt securities issued with warrants to purchase equity securities or that are convertible into equity securities, of private companies. The Trust may enter into private company investments identified by the Advisor or may co-invest in private company investment opportunities owned or identified by other third party investors, such as private equity firms, with which neither the Trust nor the Advisor is affiliated. However, the Trust will not invest in private equity funds or other privately offered pooled investment funds.

Non-U.S. Securities. The Trust may invest in Non-U.S. Securities. Subject to the Trust’s investment policies, these securities may be U.S. dollar-denominated or non-U.S. dollar-denominated. Some Non-U.S. Securities may be less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Similarly, there is less volume and liquidity in most foreign securities markets than in the United States and, at times, greater price volatility than in the United States. Because evidence of ownership of such securities usually is held outside the United States, the Trust will be subject to additional risks if it invests in Non-U.S. Securities, which include adverse political and economic developments, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits and adoption of governmental restrictions which might adversely affect or restrict the payment of principal and interest or dividends on the foreign securities to investors located outside the country of the issuer, whether from currency blockage or otherwise. Non-U.S. Securities may trade on days when the common shares are not priced or traded.

Emerging Markets Investments. The Trust may invest in securities of issuers located in emerging market countries, including securities denominated in currencies of emerging market countries. Emerging market countries generally include every nation in the world (including countries that may be considered “frontier” markets) except the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most countries located in Western Europe. These issuers may be subject to risks that do not apply to issuers in larger, more developed countries. These risks are more pronounced to the extent the Trust invests significantly in one country. Less information about emerging market issuers or markets may be available due to less rigorous disclosure and accounting standards or regulatory practices. Emerging markets are smaller, less liquid and more volatile than U.S. markets. In a changing market, the Advisor may not be able to sell the Trust’s portfolio securities in amounts and at prices it considers reasonable. The U.S.

dollar may appreciate against non-U.S. currencies or an emerging market government may impose restrictions on currency conversion or trading. The economies of emerging market countries may grow at a slower rate than expected or may experience a downturn or recession. Economic, political and social developments may adversely affect emerging market countries and their securities markets.

Corporate Bonds. Corporate bonds are debt obligations issued by corporations. Corporate bonds may be either secured or unsecured. Collateral used for secured debt includes real property, machinery, equipment, accounts receivable, stocks, bonds or notes. If a bond is unsecured, it is known as a debenture. Bondholders, as creditors, have a prior legal claim over common and preferred stockholders as to both income and assets of the corporation for the principal and interest due them and may have a prior claim over other creditors if liens or mortgages are involved. Interest on corporate bonds may be fixed or floating, or the bonds may be zero coupons. Interest on corporate bonds is typically paid semi-annually and is fully taxable to the bondholder. Corporate bonds contain elements of both interest rate risk and credit risk. The market value of a corporate bond generally may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates and may also be affected by the credit rating of the corporation, the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation in the marketplace. Corporate bonds usually yield more than government or agency bonds due to the presence of credit risk.

High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”). Subject to its investment policies, the Trust may invest in securities rated, at the time of investment, below investment grade quality such as those rated Ba or below by Moody’s Investor’s Service Inc. (“Moody’s”), BB or below by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), or securities comparably rated by other rating agencies or in unrated securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. Such securities, sometimes referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, are predominantly speculative with respect to the capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the security and generally involve greater price volatility than securities in higher rating categories. Often the protection of interest and principal payments with respect to such securities may be very moderate and issuers of such securities face major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial or economic conditions which could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments.

Lower grade securities, though high yielding, are characterized by high risk. They may be subject to certain risks with respect to the issuing entity and to greater market fluctuations than certain lower yielding, higher rated securities. The secondary market for lower grade securities may be less liquid than that of higher rated securities. Adverse conditions could make it difficult at times for the Trust to sell certain securities or could result in lower prices than those used in calculating the Trust’s NAV.

The prices of fixed-income securities generally are inversely related to interest rate changes; however, the price volatility caused by fluctuating interest rates of securities also is inversely related to the coupons of such securities. Accordingly, below investment grade securities may be relatively less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher quality securities of comparable maturity because of their higher coupon. The investor receives this higher coupon in return for bearing greater credit risk. The higher credit risk associated with below investment grade securities potentially can have a greater effect on the value of such securities than may be the case with higher quality issues of comparable maturity.

Lower grade securities may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns. It is likely that an economic recession could severely disrupt the market for such securities and may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it is likely that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default for such securities.

The ratings of Moody’s, S&P, Fitch and other rating agencies represent their opinions as to the quality of the obligations which they undertake to rate. Ratings are relative and subjective and, although ratings may be useful in evaluating the safety of interest and principal payments, they do not evaluate the market value risk of such obligations. Although these ratings may be an initial criterion for selection of portfolio investments, the Advisor also will independently evaluate these securities and the ability of the issuers of such securities to pay interest and principal. To the extent that the Trust invests in lower grade securities that have not been rated by a rating agency, the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives will be more dependent on the Advisor’s credit analysis than would be the case when the Trust invests in rated securities.

Distressed and Defaulted Securities. The Trust may invest in the securities of financially distressed and bankrupt issuers, including debt obligations that are in covenant or payment default. Such investments generally trade significantly below par and are considered speculative. The repayment of defaulted obligations is subject to significant uncertainties. Defaulted obligations might be repaid only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. Typically such workout or bankruptcy proceedings result in only partial recovery of cash payments or an exchange of the defaulted obligation for other debt or equity securities of the issuer or its affiliates, which may in turn be illiquid or speculative.

U.S. Government Debt Securities. The Trust may invest in debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, including U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance. Such obligations include U.S. Treasury bills (maturity of one year or less), U.S. Treasury notes (maturity of one to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years), including the principal components or the interest components issued by the U.S. Government under the separate trading of registered interest and principal securities program (i.e., “STRIPS”), all of which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Variable and Floating Rate Instruments. Variable and floating rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the obligations. The terms of such obligations provide that interest rates are adjusted periodically based upon an interest rate adjustment index as provided in the respective obligations. The adjustment intervals may be regular, and range from daily up to annually, or may be event-based, such as based on a change in the prime rate.

The interest rate on a floating rate security is a variable rate which is tied to another interest rate, such as a money-market index or Treasury bill rate. The interest rate on a floating rate security resets periodically, typically every six months. Because of the interest rate reset feature, floating rate securities provide the Trust with a certain degree of protection against rises in interest rates, although the Trust will participate in any declines in interest rates as well.

Structured Instruments. The Trust may use structured instruments for investment purposes, for risk management purposes, such as to reduce the duration and interest rate sensitivity of the Trust’s portfolio, for leveraging purposes and, with respect to certain structured instruments, as an alternative or complement to its options writing strategy. While structured instruments may offer the potential for a favorable rate of return from time to time, they also entail certain risks. Structured instruments may be less liquid than other securities and the price of structured instruments may be more volatile. In some cases, depending on the terms of the embedded index, a structured instrument may provide that the principal and/or interest payments may be adjusted below zero. Structured instruments also may involve significant credit risk and risk of default by the counterparty. Structured instruments may also be illiquid. Like other sophisticated strategies, the Trust’s use of structured instruments may not work as intended.

Structured Notes. The Trust may invest in “structured” notes and other related instruments, which are privately negotiated debt obligations in which the principal and/or interest is determined by reference to the performance of a benchmark asset, market or interest rate (an “embedded index”), such as selected securities, an index of securities or specified interest rates, or the differential performance of two assets or markets. Structured instruments may be issued by corporations, including banks, as well as by governmental agencies. Structured instruments frequently are assembled in the form of medium-term notes, but a variety of forms are available and may be used in particular circumstances. The terms of such structured instruments normally provide that their principal and/or interest payments are to be adjusted upwards or downwards (but ordinarily not below zero) to reflect changes in the embedded index while the structured instruments are outstanding. As a result, the interest and/or principal payments that may be made on a structured product may vary widely, depending on a variety of factors, including the volatility of the embedded index and the effect of changes in the embedded index on principal and/or interest payments. The rate of return on structured notes may be determined by applying a multiplier to the performance or differential performance of the referenced index(es) or other asset(s). Application of a multiplier involves leverage that will serve to magnify the potential for gain and the risk of loss.

Equity-Linked Notes. Equity-linked notes (“ELNs”) are hybrid securities with characteristics of both fixed-income and equity securities. An ELN is a debt instrument, usually a bond, that pays interest based upon the

performance of an underlying equity, which can be a single stock, basket of stocks or an equity index. Instead of paying a predetermined coupon, ELNs link the interest payment to the performance of a particular equity market index or basket of stocks or commodities. The interest payment is typically based on the percentage increase in an index from a predetermined level, but alternatively may be based on a decrease in the index. The interest payment may in some cases be leveraged so that, in percentage terms, it exceeds the relative performance of the market. ELNs generally are subject to the risks associated with the securities of equity issuers, default risk and counterparty risk.

In particular, the Trust may invest in ELNs as an alternative or complement to its options writing strategy. The features of ELNs described above closely replicate the income and return stream associated with single stock covered call options, and permit the Trust to receive interest income instead of the capital gains treatment that results from the implementation of its options strategy, which the Trust believes may be advantageous in certain circumstances.

Credit Linked Notes. A credit-linked note (“CLN”) is a derivative instrument. It is a synthetic obligation between two or more parties where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of some obligation (a reference obligation). In addition to the credit risk of the reference obligations and interest rate risk, the buyer/seller of the CLN is subject to counterparty risk.

Event-Linked Securities. The Trust may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in “event-linked bonds” or “event-linked swaps” or by implementing “event-linked strategies.” Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent upon, or formulaically related to, defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena or statistics relating to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as “catastrophe bonds.” If a trigger event occurs, the Trust may lose a portion of or its entire principal invested in the bond or the entire notional amount of a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims when a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose the Trust to certain other risks including credit risk, counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to illiquidity risk.

Strategic Transactions and Other Management Techniques. In addition to the options strategy discussed above, the Trust may use a variety of other investment management techniques and instruments. The Trust may purchase and sell futures contracts, enter into various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, currency transactions such as currency forward contracts, currency futures contracts, currency swaps or options on currency or currency futures and swap contracts (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps) and may purchase and sell exchange-listed and OTC put and call options on securities and swap contracts, financial indices and futures contracts and use other derivative instruments or management techniques. These Strategic Transactions may be used for duration management and other risk management purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of the Trust’s portfolio resulting from trends in the securities markets and changes in interest rates or to protect the Trust’s unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of portfolio securities for investment purposes, to establish a position in the securities markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities or to enhance income or gain. There is no particular strategy that requires use of one technique rather than another as the decision to use any particular strategy or instrument is a function of market conditions and the composition of the portfolio. The use of Strategic Transactions to enhance current income may be particularly speculative. The ability of the Trust to use Strategic Transactions successfully will depend on the Advisor’s ability to predict pertinent market movements as well as sufficient correlation among the instruments, which cannot be assured. The use of Strategic Transactions may result in losses greater than if they had not been used, may require the Trust to sell or purchase portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices other than current market values, may limit the amount of appreciation the Trust can realize on an investment or may cause the Trust to hold a security that it might otherwise sell. Inasmuch as any obligations of the Trust that arise from the use of Strategic Transactions will be covered by segregated or earmarked liquid assets or offsetting transactions, the Trust and the Advisor believe such obligations do not constitute senior securities and, accordingly, will not treat such transactions as being subject to its borrowing restrictions. See “Leverage.” Additionally, segregated or earmarked liquid assets, amounts paid by the Trust as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to Strategic Transactions are not otherwise available to the Trust for investment purposes. The SAI contains further information about the characteristics, risks and possible benefits of Strategic

Transactions and the Trust’s other policies and limitations (which are not fundamental policies) relating to Strategic Transactions. Certain provisions of the Code may restrict or affect the ability of the Trust to engage in Strategic Transactions. In addition, the use of certain Strategic Transactions may give rise to taxable income and have certain other consequences. See “Risks—Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk.”

Credit Default Swaps. The Trust may enter into credit default swap agreements. The credit default swap agreement may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not currently held by the Trust. The protection “buyer” in a credit default contract may be obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided that no credit event on the reference obligation occurs. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional amount) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or if the swap is cash settled the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount (the difference between the market value of the reference obligation and its par value). The Trust may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Trust is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Trust will generally receive no payments from its counterparty under the swap if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional amount of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity, the value of which may have significantly decreased. As a seller, the Trust generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap, which typically is between six months and three years, provided that there is no credit event. If a credit event occurs, generally the seller must pay the buyer the full notional amount of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity, the value of which may have significantly decreased. As the seller, the Trust would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its Managed Assets, the Trust would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Credit default swap agreements involve greater risks than if the Trust had taken a position in the reference obligation directly (either by purchasing or selling) since, in addition to general market risks, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risks. A buyer generally will also lose its upfront payment or any periodic payments it makes to the seller counterparty and receive no payments from its counterparty should no credit event occur and the swap is held to its termination date. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional amount it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the seller. A seller of a credit default swap or similar instrument is exposed to many of the same risks of leverage since, if a credit event occurs, the seller generally will be required to pay the buyer the full notional amount of the contract net of any amounts owed by the buyer related to its delivery of deliverable obligations. The Trust’s obligations under a credit default swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Trust). The Trust will at all times segregate or designate on its books and records in connection with each such transaction liquid assets or cash with a value at least equal to the Trust’s exposure (any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed by the Trust to any counterparty) on a marked-to-market basis (as required by the clearing organization with respect to cleared swaps or as calculated pursuant to requirements of the SEC). If the Trust is a seller of protection in a credit default swap transaction, it will designate on its books and records in connection with such transaction liquid assets or cash with a value at least equal to the full notional amount of the contract. Such designation will ensure that the Trust has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction and will avoid any potential leveraging of the Trust’s portfolio. Such designation will not limit the Trust’s exposure to loss.

In addition, the credit derivatives market is subject to a changing regulatory environment. It is possible that regulatory or other developments in the credit derivatives market could adversely affect the Trust’s ability to successfully use credit derivatives.

Indexed and Inverse Securities. The Trust may invest in securities the potential return of which is based on the change in a specified interest rate or equity index (an “indexed security”). For example, the Trust may invest in a security that pays a variable amount of interest or principal based on the current level of the French or Korean stock markets. The Trust may also invest in securities whose return is inversely related to changes in an interest rate or index (“inverse securities”). In general, the return on inverse securities will decrease when the underlying index or interest rate goes up and increase when that index or interest rate goes down.

Interest Rate Transactions. The Trust may enter into interest rate swaps and purchase or sell interest rate caps and floors. The Trust expects to enter into these transactions primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Trust anticipates purchasing at a later date and/or to hedge against increases in the Trust’s costs associated with its leverage strategy. The Trust will ordinarily use these transactions as a hedge or for duration and risk management although it is permitted to enter into them to enhance income or gain. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Trust with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of floating rate payments for fixed rate payments with respect to a notional amount of principal). The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that the level of a specified interest rate exceeds a predetermined interest rate (i.e., the strike price), to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that the level of a specified interest rate falls below a predetermined interest rate (i.e., the strike price), to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate floor.

For example, if the Trust holds a debt instrument with an interest rate that is reset only once each year, it may swap the right to receive interest at this fixed rate for the right to receive interest at a rate that is reset every week. This would enable the Trust to offset a decline in the value of the debt instrument due to rising interest rates but would also limit its ability to benefit from falling interest rates. Conversely, if the Trust holds a debt instrument with an interest rate that is reset every week and it would like to lock in what it believes to be a high interest rate for one year, it may swap the right to receive interest at this variable weekly rate for the right to receive interest at a rate that is fixed for one year. Such a swap would protect the Trust from a reduction in yield due to falling interest rates and may permit the Trust to enhance its income through the positive differential between one week and one year interest rates, but would preclude it from taking full advantage of rising interest rates.

The Trust may hedge both its assets and liabilities through interest rate swaps, caps and floors. Usually, payments with respect to interest rate swaps will be made on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out) with the Trust receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments on the payment dates. The Trust will accrue the net amount of the excess, if any, of the Trust’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each interest rate swap on a daily basis and will segregate with a custodian or designate on its books and records an amount of cash or liquid assets having an aggregate NAV at all times at least equal to the accrued excess. If there is a default by the other party to an uncleared interest rate swap transaction, generally the Trust will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. With respect to interest rate swap transactions cleared through a central clearing counterparty, a clearing organization will be substituted for the counterparty and will guaranty the parties’ performance under the swap agreement. However, there can be no assurance that the clearing organization will satisfy its obligation to the Trust or that the Trust would be able to recover the full amount of assets deposited on its behalf with the clearing organization in the event of the default by the clearing organization or the Trust’s clearing broker. Certain U.S. federal income tax requirements may limit the Trust’s ability to engage in interest rate swaps. Distributions attributable to transactions in interest rate swaps generally will be taxable as ordinary income to shareholders.

Foreign Currency Transactions. The Trust’s common shares are priced in U.S. dollars and the distributions paid by the Trust to common shareholders are paid in U.S. dollars. However, a portion of the Trust’s assets may be denominated in non-U.S. currencies and the income received by the Trust from such securities will be paid in non-U.S. currencies. The Trust also may invest in or gain exposure to non-U.S. currencies for investment or hedging purposes. The Trust’s investments in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, non-U.S. currencies will be subject to currency risk, which is the risk that fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies may negatively affect an investment. The Trust may (but is not required to) hedge some or all of its exposure to non-U.S. currencies through the use of derivative strategies, including forward foreign currency exchange contracts, foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and foreign currency futures. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Trust will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time when they would be beneficial. Although the Trust has the flexibility to engage in such transactions, the Advisor may determine not to do so or to do so only in unusual circumstances or market conditions. These transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for the Trust to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. The Trust may also use derivatives contracts for purposes of increasing exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another.

Other Investment Companies. The Trust may invest in securities of other investment companies (including ETFs and BDCs), subject to applicable regulatory limits. As a shareholder in an investment company, the Trust will bear its ratable share of that investment company’s expenses and will remain subject to payment of the Trust’s advisory and other fees and expenses with respect to assets so invested. Holders of common shares will therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent the Trust invests in other investment companies. The Advisor will take expenses into account when evaluating the investment merits of an investment in an investment company relative to available equity and/or fixed-income securities investments. In addition, the securities of other investment companies may be leveraged and will therefore be subject to the same leverage risks to which the Trust may be subject to the extent it employs a leverage strategy. As described in the sections entitled “Risks” and “Leverage,” the NAV and market value of leveraged shares will be more volatile and the yield to shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged shares. Investment companies may have investment policies that differ from those of the Trust. In addition, to the extent the Trust invests in other investment companies, the Trust will be dependent upon the investment and research abilities of persons other than the Advisor.

The Trust may invest in ETFs, which are investment companies that typically aim to track or replicate a desired index, such as a sector, market or global segment. ETFs are typically passively managed and their shares are traded on a national exchange or The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. ETFs do not sell individual shares directly to investors and only issue their shares in large blocks known as “creation units.” The investor purchasing a creation unit may sell the individual shares on a secondary market. Therefore, the liquidity of ETFs depends on the adequacy of the secondary market. There can be no assurance that an ETF’s investment objective will be achieved, as ETFs based on an index may not replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weightings of securities in the index. ETFs are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities. The Trust, as a holder of the securities of the ETF, will bear its pro rata portion of the ETF’s expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses are in addition to the direct expenses of the Trust’s own operations.

Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts. The Trust may invest in repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is a contractual agreement whereby the seller of securities agrees to repurchase the same security at a specified price on a future date agreed upon by the parties. The agreed upon repurchase price determines the yield during the Trust’s holding period. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans collateralized by the underlying security that is the subject of the repurchase contract. Income generated from transactions in repurchase agreements will be taxable. The risk to the Trust is limited to the ability of the issuer to pay the agreed upon repurchase price on the delivery date; however, although the value of the underlying collateral at the time the transaction is entered into always equals or exceeds the agreed upon repurchase price, if the value of the collateral declines there is a risk of loss of both principal and interest. In the event of default, the collateral may be sold but the Trust might incur a loss if the value of the collateral declines, and might incur disposition costs or experience delays in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if bankruptcy proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller of the security, realization upon the collateral by the Trust may be delayed or limited. The Advisor will monitor the value of the collateral at the time the transaction is entered into and at all times subsequent during the term of the repurchase agreement in an effort to determine that such value always equals or exceeds the agreed upon repurchase price. In the event the value of the collateral declines below the repurchase price, the Advisor will demand additional collateral from the issuer to increase the value of the collateral to at least that of the repurchase price, including interest.

A purchase and sale contract is similar to a repurchase agreement, but differs from a repurchase agreement in that the contract arrangements stipulate that the securities are owned by the Trust. In the event of a default under such a repurchase agreement or a purchase and sale contract, instead of the contractual fixed rate of return, the rate of return to the Trust will be dependent upon intervening fluctuations of the market value of such security and the accrued interest on the security. In such event, the Trust would have rights against the seller for breach of contract with respect to any losses arising from market fluctuations following the failure of the seller to perform.

Short Sales. The Trust may make short sales of securities. A short sale is a transaction in which the Trust sells a security it does not own in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline. The Trust may make short sales to hedge positions, for duration and risk management, in order to maintain portfolio flexibility or to enhance income or gain. When the Trust makes a short sale, it must borrow the security sold short and deliver it to the broker-dealer through which it made the short sale as collateral for its obligation to deliver the security upon conclusion of the sale. The Trust may have to pay a fee to borrow particular securities and is often obligated to pay

over to the securities lender any income, distributions or dividends received on such borrowed securities until it returns the security to the securities lender. The Trust’s obligation to replace the borrowed security will be secured by collateral deposited with the securities lender, usually cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid assets. The Trust will also be required to segregate or earmark similar collateral with its custodian to the extent, if any, necessary so that the aggregate collateral value is at all times at least equal to the current market value of the security sold short. Depending on arrangements made with the securities lender regarding payment over of any income, distributions or dividends received by the Trust on such security, the Trust may not receive any payments (including interest) on its collateral deposited with such securities lender. If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Trust replaces the borrowed security, the Trust will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Trust will realize a gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss increased, by the transaction costs described above. Although the Trust’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited. Short sales, even if covered, may represent a form of economic leverage and will create risks.

Counterparty Credit Standards. To the extent that the Trust engages in principal transactions, including, but not limited to, OTC options, forward currency transactions, swap transactions, repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements and the purchase and sale of bonds and other fixed-income securities, it must rely on the creditworthiness of its counterparties under such transactions. In certain instances, the credit risk of a counterparty is increased by the lack of a central clearing house for certain transactions, including certain swap contracts. In the event of the insolvency of a counterparty, the Trust may not be able to recover its assets, in full or at all, during the insolvency process. Counterparties to investments may have no obligation to make markets in such investments and may have the ability to apply essentially discretionary margin and credit requirements. Similarly, the Trust will be subject to the risk of bankruptcy of, or the inability or refusal to perform with respect to such investments by, the counterparties with which it deals. The Advisor will seek to minimize the Trust’s exposure to counterparty risk by entering into such transactions with counterparties the Advisor believes to be creditworthy at the time it enters into the transaction. Certain option transactions and Strategic Transactions may require the Trust to provide collateral to secure its performance obligations under a contract, which would also entail counterparty credit risk.

Securities Lending. The Trust may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers determined to be creditworthy by the Advisor, including to borrowers affiliated with the Advisor. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned. No securities loan will be made on behalf of the Trust if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loans of the Trust exceeds one-third of the value of the Trust’s total assets (including the value of the collateral received). The Trust may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. The Trust receives the value of any interest or cash or non-cash distributions paid on the loaned securities.

With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the borrower may be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. The Trust is compensated by the difference between the amount earned on the reinvestment of cash collateral and the fee paid to the borrower. In the case of collateral other than cash, the Trust is compensated by a fee paid by the borrower equal to a percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. Any cash collateral received by the Trust for such loans, and uninvested cash, may be invested, among other things, in a private investment company managed by an affiliate of the Advisor or in registered money market funds advised by the Advisor or its affiliates; such investments are subject to investment risk.

The Trust conducts its securities lending pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to lend portfolio securities to borrowers affiliated with the Trust and to retain an affiliate of the Trust as lending agent. To the extent that the Trust engages in securities lending, BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BIM”), an affiliate of the Advisor, acts as securities lending agent for the Trust, subject to the overall supervision of the Advisor. BIM administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the Board. Pursuant to the current securities lending agreement, BIM may lend securities only when the difference between the borrower rebate rate and the risk free rate exceeds a certain level.

To the extent that the Trust engages in securities lending, the Trust retains a portion of securities lending income and remits a remaining portion to BIM as compensation for its services as securities lending agent. Securities lending income is equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral (and excludes collateral investment expenses as defined below), and any fees or other payments to and from borrowers of

securities. As securities lending agent, BIM bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. The Trust is responsible for expenses in connection with the investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan in a private investment company managed by an affiliate of the Advisor (the “collateral investment expenses”); however, BIM has agreed to cap the collateral investment expenses the Trust bears to an annual rate of [●]% of the daily net assets of such private investment company. In addition, in accordance with the exemptive order, the investment adviser to the private investment company will not charge any advisory fees with respect to shares purchased by the Trust. Such shares also will not be subject to a sales load, redemption fee, distribution fee or service fee.

Pursuant to the current securities lending agreement, the Trust retains [●]% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment expenses).

In addition, commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income earned across the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex (as defined below) in a calendar year exceeds the breakpoint dollar threshold applicable in the given year, the Trust, pursuant to the current securities lending agreement, will receive for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income in an amount equal to [●]% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment expenses).

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Securities. The Trust may purchase securities on a “when-issued” basis and may purchase or sell securities on a “forward commitment” basis (including on a “TBA” (to be announced) basis) or on a “delayed delivery” basis. When such transactions are negotiated, the price, which is generally expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment is made, but delivery and payment for the securities take place at a later date. When-issued securities and forward commitments may be sold prior to the settlement date. If the Trust disposes of the right to acquire a when-issued security prior to its acquisition or disposes of its right to deliver or receive against a forward commitment, it might incur a gain or loss. At the time the Trust enters into a transaction on a when-issued or forward commitment basis, it will designate on its books and records cash or liquid assets with a value not less than the value of the when-issued or forward commitment securities. The value of these assets will be monitored daily to ensure that their marked to market value will at all times equal or exceed the corresponding obligations of the Trust. Pursuant to recommendations of the Treasury Market Practices Group, which is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Board of New York, the Trust or its counterparty generally is required to post collateral when entering into certain forward-settling transactions, including without limitation TBA transactions.

There is always a risk that the securities may not be delivered and that the Trust may incur a loss. A default by a counterparty may result in the Trust missing the opportunity of obtaining a price considered to be advantageous. The value of securities in these transactions on the delivery date may be more or less than the Trust’s purchase price. The Trust may bear the risk of a decline in the value of the security in these transactions and may not benefit from an appreciation in the value of the security during the commitment period. Settlements in the ordinary course are not treated by the Trust as when-issued or forward commitment transactions and accordingly are not subject to the foregoing restrictions.

The market value of the securities underlying a commitment to purchase securities, and any subsequent fluctuations in their market value, is taken into account when determining the NAV of the Trust starting on the day the Trust agrees to purchase the securities. The Trust does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until they are paid for and delivered on the settlement date.

The Trust currently does not intend to borrow money or issue debt securities or preferred shares. The Trust is, however, permitted to borrow money or issue debt securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its Managed Assets (50% of its net assets), and issue preferred shares in an amount up to 50% of its Managed Assets (100% of its net assets). “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Trust (including any assets attributable to money borrowed for investment purposes) minus the sum of the Trust’s accrued liabilities (other than money borrowed for investment purposes). Although it has no present intention to do so, the Trust reserves the right to borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, or issue debt securities or preferred shares, in the future if it believes that market conditions would be conducive to the successful implementation of a leveraging strategy through borrowing money or issuing debt securities or preferred shares. Any such leveraging will not be fully achieved until the proceeds resulting from the use of leverage have been invested in accordance with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies.

The use of leverage, if employed, can create risks. When leverage is employed, the NAV and market price of the common shares and the yield to holders of common shares will be more volatile than if leverage were not used. Changes in the value of the Trust’s portfolio, including securities bought with the proceeds of leverage, will be borne entirely by the holders of common shares. If there is a net decrease or increase in the value of the Trust’s investment portfolio, leverage will decrease or increase, as the case may be, the NAV per common share to a greater extent than if the Trust did not utilize leverage. A reduction in the Trust’s NAV may cause a reduction in the market price of its shares. During periods in which the Trust is using leverage, the fee paid to the Advisor for advisory services will be higher than if the Trust did not use leverage, because the fees paid will be calculated on the basis of the Trust’s Managed Assets, which includes the proceeds from leverage. Any leveraging strategy the Trust employs may not be successful. See “Risks—Leverage Risk.”

Certain types of leverage the Trust may use may result in the Trust being subject to covenants relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. The Trust may be subject to certain restrictions on investments imposed by one or more lenders or by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for any short-term debt securities or preferred shares issued by the Trust. The terms of any borrowings or rating agency guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the Investment Company Act. The Advisor does not believe that these covenants or guidelines will impede it from managing the Trust’s portfolio in accordance with its investment objectives and policies if the Trust were to utilize leverage.

Under the Investment Company Act, the Trust is not permitted to issue senior securities if, immediately after the issuance of such senior securities, the Trust would have an asset coverage ratio (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of less than 300% with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness (i.e., for every dollar of indebtedness outstanding, the Trust is required to have at least three dollars of assets) or less than 200% with respect to senior securities representing preferred stock (i.e., for every dollar of preferred stock outstanding, the Trust is required to have at least two dollars of assets). The Investment Company Act also provides that the Trust may not declare distributions or purchase its stock (including through tender offers) if, immediately after doing so, it will have an asset coverage ratio of less than 300% or 200%, as applicable. Under the Investment Company Act, certain short-term borrowings (such as for cash management purposes) are not subject to these limitations if (i) repaid within 60 days, (ii) not extended or renewed and (iii) not in excess of 5% of the total assets of the Trust.

The Trust is permitted to leverage its portfolio by entering into one or more credit facilities. If the Trust enters into a credit facility, the Trust may be required to prepay outstanding amounts or incur a penalty rate of interest upon the occurrence of certain events of default. The Trust would also likely have to indemnify the lenders under the credit facility against liabilities they may incur in connection therewith. In addition, the Trust expects that any credit facility would contain covenants that, among other things, likely would limit the Trust’s ability to pay distributions in certain circumstances, incur additional debt, change certain of its investment policies and engage in certain transactions, including mergers and consolidations, and require asset coverage ratios in addition to those required by the Investment Company Act. The Trust may be required to pledge its assets and to maintain a portion of its assets in cash or high-grade securities as a reserve against interest or principal payments and expenses. The Trust expects that any credit facility would have customary covenant, negative covenant and default provisions. There can be no assurance that the Trust will enter into an agreement for a credit facility, or one on terms and conditions representative of the foregoing, or that additional material terms will not apply. In addition, if entered into, a credit facility may in the future be replaced or refinanced by one or more credit facilities having substantially different terms or by the issuance of preferred shares.

The Trust may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with respect to its portfolio investments subject to the investment restrictions set forth herein. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the

Trust with an agreement by the Trust to repurchase the securities at an agreed upon price, date and interest payment. At the time the Trust enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it may establish and maintain a segregated account with the custodian containing, or designate on its books and records, cash and/or liquid assets having a value not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). If the Trust establishes and maintains such a segregated account, or earmarks such assets as described, a reverse repurchase agreement will not be considered a senior security under the Investment Company Act and therefore will not be considered a borrowing by the Trust; however, under certain circumstances in which the Trust does not establish and maintain such a segregated account, or earmark such assets on its books and records, such reverse repurchase agreement will be considered a borrowing for the purpose of the Trust’s limitation on borrowings discussed above. The use by the Trust of reverse repurchase agreements involves many of the same risks of leverage since the proceeds derived from such reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities acquired in connection with the reverse repurchase agreement may decline below the price of the securities the Trust has sold but is obligated to repurchase. Also, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained in lieu of sale by the Trust in connection with the reverse repurchase agreement may decline in price.

If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, such buyer or its trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Trust’s obligation to repurchase the securities and the Trust’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision. Also, the Trust would bear the risk of loss to the extent that the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement are less than the value of the securities subject to such agreement.

The Trust also may effect simultaneous purchase and sale transactions that are known as “sale-buybacks.” A sale-buyback is similar to a reverse repurchase agreement, except that in a sale-buyback, the counterparty that purchases the security is entitled to receive any principal or interest payments made on the underlying security pending settlement of the Trust’s repurchase of the underlying security.

The Trust may enter into “dollar roll” transactions. In a dollar roll transaction, the Trust sells a mortgage related or other security to a dealer and simultaneously agrees to repurchase a similar security (but not the same security) in the future at a pre-determined price. A dollar roll transaction can be viewed, like a reverse repurchase agreement, as a collateralized borrowing in which the Trust pledges a mortgage related security to a dealer to obtain cash. However, unlike reverse repurchase agreements, the dealer with which the Trust enters into a dollar roll transaction is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Trust, but rather only securities which are “substantially identical,” which generally means that the securities repurchased will bear the same interest rate and a similar maturity as those sold, but the pools of mortgages collateralizing those securities may have different prepayment histories than those sold.

During the period between the sale and repurchase, the Trust will not be entitled to receive interest and principal payments on the securities sold. Proceeds of the sale will be invested in additional instruments for the Trust and the income from these investments will generate income for the Trust. If such income does not exceed the income, capital appreciation and gain that would have been realized on the securities sold as part of the dollar roll, the use of this technique will diminish the investment performance of the Trust compared with what the performance would have been without the use of dollar rolls.

At the time the Trust enters into a dollar roll transaction, it may establish and maintain a segregated account with the custodian containing, or designate on its books and records, cash and/or liquid assets having a value not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). If the Trust establishes and maintains such a segregated account, or earmarks such assets as described, a dollar roll transaction will not be considered a senior security under the Investment Company Act and therefore will not be considered a borrowing by the Trust; however, under certain circumstances in which the Trust does not establish and maintain such a segregated account, or earmark such assets on its books and records, such dollar roll transaction will be considered a borrowing for the purpose of the Trust’s limitation on borrowings discussed above.

Dollar roll transactions involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Trust is required to purchase may decline below the agreed upon repurchase price of those securities. The Trust’s right to purchase or repurchase securities may be restricted. Successful use of mortgage dollar rolls may depend upon the investment manager’s ability to correctly predict interest rates and prepayments. There is no assurance that dollar rolls can be successfully employed.

The Trust is permitted to leverage its portfolio by issuing preferred shares. Under the Investment Company Act, the Trust is not permitted to issue preferred shares if, immediately after such issuance, the liquidation value of the Trust’s outstanding preferred shares exceeds 50% of its assets (including the proceeds from the issuance) less liabilities other than borrowings (i.e., the value of the Trust’s assets must be at least 200% of the liquidation value of its outstanding preferred shares). In addition, the Trust would not be permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its common shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the value of the Trust’s assets less liabilities other than borrowings is at least 200% of such liquidation value.

The Trust expects that preferred shares, if issued, will pay adjustable rate dividends based on shorter-term interest rates, which would be redetermined periodically by a fixed spread or remarketing process, subject to a maximum rate which would increase over time in the event of an extended period of unsuccessful remarketing. The adjustment period for preferred share dividends could be as short as one day or as long as a year or more. Preferred shares, if issued, could include a liquidity feature that allows holders of preferred shares to have their shares purchased by a liquidity provider in the event that sell orders have not been matched with purchase orders and successfully settled in a remarketing. The Trust expects that it would pay a fee to the provider of this liquidity feature, which would be borne by common shareholders of the Trust. The terms of such liquidity feature could require the Trust to redeem preferred shares still owned by the liquidity provider following a certain period of continuous, unsuccessful remarketing, which may adversely impact the Trust.

If preferred shares are issued, the Trust may, to the extent possible, purchase or redeem preferred shares from time to time to the extent necessary in order to maintain asset coverage of any preferred shares of at least 200%. In addition, as a condition to obtaining ratings on the preferred shares, the terms of any preferred shares issued are expected to include asset coverage maintenance provisions which will require the redemption of the preferred shares in the event of non-compliance by the Trust and may also prohibit dividends and other distributions on the common shares in such circumstances. In order to meet redemption requirements, the Trust may have to liquidate portfolio securities. Such liquidations and redemptions would cause the Trust to incur related transaction costs and could result in capital losses to the Trust. Prohibitions on dividends and other distributions on the common shares could impair the Trust’s ability to qualify as a RIC under the Code. If the Trust has preferred shares outstanding, two of the Trustees will be elected by the holders of preferred shares voting separately as a class. The remaining Trustees will be elected by holders of common shares and preferred shares voting together as a single class. In the event the Trust failed to pay dividends on preferred shares for two years, holders of preferred shares would be entitled to elect a majority of the Trustees.

If the Trust issues preferred shares, the Trust expects that it will be subject to certain restrictions imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies that may issue ratings for preferred shares issued by the Trust. These guidelines are expected to impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed on the Trust by the Investment Company Act. It is not anticipated that these covenants or guidelines would impede the Advisor from managing the Trust’s portfolio in accordance with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies.

The Trust may enter into derivative transactions that have economic leverage embedded in them. Derivative transactions that the Trust may enter into and the risks associated with them are described elsewhere in this prospectus and are also referred to as “Strategic Transactions.” The Trust cannot assure you that investments in derivative transactions that have economic leverage embedded in them will result in a higher return on its common shares.

To the extent the terms of such transactions obligate the Trust to make payments, the Trust may earmark or segregate cash or liquid assets in an amount at least equal to the current value of the amount then payable by the Trust under the terms of such transactions or otherwise cover such transactions in accordance with applicable interpretations of the staff of the SEC. If the current value of the amount then payable by the Trust under the terms of such transactions is represented by the notional amounts of such investments, the Trust would segregate or earmark cash or liquid assets having a market value at least equal to such notional amounts, and if the current value of the amount then payable by the Trust under the terms of such transactions is represented by the market value of the Trust’s current obligations, the Trust would segregate or earmark cash or liquid assets having a market value at least equal to such current obligations. To the extent the terms of such transactions obligate the Trust to deliver particular securities to extinguish the Trust’s obligations under such transactions the Trust may “cover” its obligations under such transactions by either (i) owning the securities or collateral underlying such transactions or (ii) having an absolute and immediate right to acquire such securities or collateral without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, having earmarked or segregated an appropriate amount of cash or liquid assets). Such earmarking, segregation or cover is intended to provide the Trust with available assets to satisfy its obligations under such transactions. As a result of such earmarking, segregation or cover, the Trust’s obligations under such transactions will not be considered senior securities representing indebtedness for purposes of the Investment Company Act, or considered borrowings subject to the Trust’s limitations on borrowings discussed above, but may create leverage for the Trust. To the extent that the Trust’s obligations under such transactions are not so earmarked, segregated or covered, such obligations may be considered “senior securities representing indebtedness” under the Investment Company Act and therefore subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement.

These earmarking, segregation or cover requirements can result in the Trust maintaining securities positions it would otherwise liquidate, segregating or earmarking assets at a time when it might be disadvantageous to do so or otherwise restrict portfolio management.

The Trust may also borrow money as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes, including the payment of dividends and the settlement of securities transactions which otherwise might require untimely dispositions of Trust securities.

The NAV and market price of, and dividends paid on, the common shares will fluctuate with and be affected by, among other things, the risks more fully described below.

The Trust is a newly organized, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with no operating history. The Trust does not have any historical financial statements or other meaningful operating or financial data on which potential investors may evaluate the Trust and its performance. An investment in the Trust is therefore subject to all of the risks and uncertainties associated with a new business, including the risk that the Trust will not achieve its investment objectives and that the value of any potential investment in our common shares could decline substantially as a consequence.

Unless the limited term provision of the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust is amended by shareholders in accordance with the Agreement and Declaration of Trust, or unless the Trust completes an Eligible Tender Offer and converts to perpetual existence, the Trust will dissolve on or about the Dissolution Date. The Trust is not a so called “target date” or “life cycle” fund whose asset allocation becomes more conservative over time as its target date, often associated with retirement, approaches. In addition, the Trust is not a “target term” fund and thus does not seek to return its initial public offering price per common share upon dissolution. As the assets of the Trust will be liquidated in connection with its dissolution, the Trust may be

required to sell portfolio securities when it otherwise would not, including at times when market conditions are not favorable, which may cause the Trust to lose money. In addition, as the Trust approaches the Dissolution Date, the Advisor may invest the proceeds of sold, matured or called securities in money market mutual funds, cash, cash equivalents, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its instrumentalities or agencies, high quality, short-term money market instruments, short-term debt securities, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and other bank obligations, commercial paper or other liquid debt securities, which may adversely affect the Trust’s investment performance. Rather than reinvesting proceeds received from sales of or payments received in respect of portfolio securities, the Trust may distribute such proceeds in one or more liquidating distributions prior to the final dissolution, which may cause the Trust’s fixed expenses to increase when expressed as a percentage of net assets attributable to common shares, or the Trust may invest the proceeds in lower yielding securities or hold the proceeds in cash or cash equivalents, which may adversely affect the performance of the Trust. The final distribution of net assets upon dissolution may be more than, equal to or less than $20.00 per common share. Because the Trust may adopt a plan of liquidation and make liquidating distributions in advance of the Dissolution Date, the total value of the Trust’s assets returned to common shareholders upon dissolution will be impacted by decisions of the Board and the Advisor regarding the timing of adopting a plan of liquidation and making liquidating distributions. This may result in common shareholders receiving liquidating distributions with a value more or less than the value that would have been received if the Trust had liquidated all of its assets on the Dissolution Date, or any other potential date for liquidation referenced in this prospectus, and distributed the proceeds thereof to shareholders.

If the Trust conducts an Eligible Tender Offer, the Trust anticipates that funds to pay the aggregate purchase price of shares accepted for purchase pursuant to the tender offer will be first derived from any cash on hand and then from the proceeds from the sale of portfolio investments held by the Trust. The risks related to the disposition of securities in connection with the Trust’s dissolution also would be present in connection with the disposition of securities in connection with an Eligible Tender Offer. It is likely that during the pendency of a tender offer, and possibly for a time thereafter, the Trust will hold a greater than normal percentage of its total assets in cash and cash equivalents, which may impede the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives and decrease returns to shareholders. The tax effect of any such dispositions of portfolio investments will depend on the difference between the price at which the investments are sold and the tax basis of the Trust in the investments. Any capital gains recognized on such dispositions, as reduced by any capital losses the Trust realizes in the year of such dispositions and by any available capital loss carryforwards, will be distributed to shareholders as capital gain dividends (to the extent of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) or ordinary dividends (to the extent of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) during or with respect to such year, and such distributions will generally be taxable to common shareholders. If the Trust’s tax basis for the investments sold is less than the sale proceeds, the Trust will recognize capital gains, which the Trust will be required to distribute to common shareholders. In addition, the Trust’s purchase of tendered common shares pursuant to an Eligible Tender Offer will have tax consequences for tendering common shareholders and may have tax consequences for non-tendering common shareholders. See “Tax Matters” below.

The purchase of common shares by the Trust pursuant to an Eligible Tender Offer will have the effect of increasing the proportionate interest in the Trust of non-tendering common shareholders. All common shareholders remaining after an Eligible Tender Offer will be subject to any increased risks associated with the reduction in the Trust’s assets resulting from payment for the tendered common shares, such as greater volatility due to decreased diversification and proportionately higher expenses. The reduced assets of the Trust as a result of an Eligible Tender Offer may result in less investment flexibility for the Trust and may have an adverse effect on the Trust’s investment performance. Such reduction in the Trust’s assets may also cause common shares of the Trust to become thinly traded or otherwise negatively impact secondary trading of common shares. A reduction in assets, and the corresponding increase in the Trust’s expense ratio, could result in lower returns and put the Trust at a disadvantage relative to its peers and potentially cause the Trust’s common shares to trade at a wider discount to NAV than they otherwise would. Furthermore, the portfolio of the Trust following an Eligible Tender Offer could be significantly different and, therefore, common shareholders retaining an investment in the Trust could be subject to greater risk. For example, the Trust may be required to sell its more liquid, higher quality portfolio investments to purchase common shares that are tendered in an Eligible Tender Offer, which would leave a less liquid, lower quality portfolio for remaining shareholders. The prospects of an Eligible Tender Offer may attract arbitrageurs who would purchase the common shares prior to the tender offer for the sole purpose of tendering those shares which could have the effect of exacerbating the risks described herein for shareholders retaining an investment in the Trust following an Eligible Tender Offer.

The Trust is not required to conduct an Eligible Tender Offer. If the Trust conducts an Eligible Tender Offer, there can be no assurance that the payment for tendered common shares would not result in the Trust having aggregate net assets below the Dissolution Threshold, in which case the Eligible Tender Offer will be canceled, no common shares will be repurchased pursuant to the Eligible Tender Offer and the Trust will liquidate on the Dissolution Date (subject to possible extensions). Following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer in which the payment for tendered common shares would result in the Trust having aggregate net assets greater than or equal to the Dissolution Threshold, the Board may, by a Board Action Vote, eliminate the Dissolution Date without shareholder approval and provide for the Trust’s perpetual existence. Thereafter, the Trust will have a perpetual existence. There is no guarantee that the Board will eliminate the Dissolution Date following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer so that the Trust will have a perpetual existence. The Advisor may have a conflict of interest in recommending to the Board that the Dissolution Date be eliminated and the Trust have a perpetual existence. The Trust is not required to conduct additional tender offers following an Eligible Tender Offer and conversion to perpetual existence. Therefore, remaining common shareholders may not have another opportunity to participate in a tender offer. Shares of closed-end management investment companies frequently trade at a discount from their NAV, and as a result remaining common shareholders may only be able to sell their shares at a discount to NAV.

Additionally, the tax treatment of the liquidating trust’s assets may differ from the tax treatment applicable to such assets when held by the Trust. To the extent the costs associated with a liquidating trust exceed the value of the remaining securities, the liquidating trust trustees may determine to dispose of the remaining securities in a manner of their choosing. The Trust cannot predict the amount, if any, of securities that will be required to be placed in a liquidating trust or how long it will take to sell or otherwise dispose of such securities.

The Trust is a non-diversified fund. As defined in the Investment Company Act, a non-diversified fund may have a significant part of its investments in a smaller number of issuers than can a diversified fund. Having a larger percentage of assets in a smaller number of issuers makes a non-diversified fund, like the Trust, more susceptible to the risk that one single event or occurrence can have a significant adverse impact upon the Trust.

An investment in the Trust’s common shares is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire amount that you invest. As with any stock, the price of the Trust’s common shares will fluctuate with market conditions and other factors. If shares are sold, the price received may be more or less than the original investment. Common shares are designed for long-term investors and the Trust should not be treated as a trading vehicle. Shares of closed-end management investment companies frequently trade at a discount from their NAV. This risk is separate and distinct from the risk that the Trust’s NAV could decrease as a result of its investment activities. At any point in time an investment in the Trust’s common shares may be worth less than the original amount invested, even after taking into account distributions paid by the Trust. This risk may be greater for investors who sell their common shares in a relatively short period of time after completion of the initial offering. During periods in which the Trust may use leverage, the Trust’s investment, market discount and certain other risks will be magnified.

The Trust’s investments will be concentrated in the health sciences and related industries. As a result, the Trust’s portfolio may be more sensitive to, and possibly more adversely affected by, regulatory, economic or political factors or trends relating to the healthcare, agricultural and environmental technology industries than a portfolio of companies representing a larger number of industries and the Trust itself may present more risks than if it were broadly diversified over numerous industries and sectors of the economy. A downturn in the health sciences

industry may have a larger impact on the Trust than on an investment company that does not concentrate in such industry. At times, the performance of securities of companies in the health sciences industry will lag behind the performance of other industries or the broader market as a whole.

Concentration in the Health Sciences Industry. Companies in the health sciences industry have in the past been characterized by limited product focus, rapidly changing technology and extensive government regulation. In particular, technological advances can render an existing product, which may account for a disproportionate share of a company’s revenue, obsolete. Obtaining governmental approval from agencies such as the FDA for new products can be lengthy, expensive and uncertain as to outcome. Any delays in product development may result in the need to seek additional capital, potentially diluting the interests of existing investors such as the Trust. In addition, governmental agencies may, for a variety of reasons, restrict the release of certain innovative technologies of commercial significance. These various factors may result in abrupt advances and declines in the securities prices of particular companies and, in some cases, may have a broad effect on the prices of securities of companies in particular health sciences industries.

A concentration of investments in health sciences companies generally may increase the risk and volatility of the Trust’s portfolio. Such volatility is not limited to the health sciences industry, and companies in other industries may be subject to similar abrupt movements in the market prices of their securities. No assurance can be given that future declines in the market prices of securities of companies in the industries in which the Trust may invest will not occur, or that such declines will not adversely affect the NAV or the price of the Trust’s common shares.

Intense competition exists within and among the health sciences industry, including competition to obtain and sustain proprietary technology protection. Health sciences companies can be highly dependent on the strength of patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights for maintenance of profit margins and market exclusivity. The complex nature of the technologies involved can lead to patent disputes, including litigation that may be costly and that could result in a company losing an exclusive right to a patent. Competitors of health sciences companies, particularly emerging growth health sciences companies in which the Trust may invest, may have substantially greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing and service capabilities, and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel. Such competitors may succeed in developing technologies and products that are more effective or less costly than any that may be developed by health sciences companies in which the Trust invests and may also prove to be more successful in production and marketing. Competition may increase further as a result of potential advances in health services and medical technology and greater availability of capital for investment in these fields.

With respect to the health sciences industry, cost containment measures already implemented by the federal government, state governments and the private sector have adversely affected certain sectors of these industries. If not repealed, the implementation of the Patient Protection and ACA may create increased demand for healthcare products and services but also may have an adverse effect on some companies in the health sciences industry, as discussed further below under “Risks Associated with the Implementation or Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” Increased emphasis on managed care in the United States may put pressure on the price and usage of products sold by health sciences companies in which the Trust may invest and may adversely affect the sales and revenues of health sciences companies.

Product development efforts by health sciences companies may not result in commercial products for many reasons, including, but not limited to, failure to achieve acceptable clinical trial results, limited effectiveness in treating the specified condition or illness, harmful side effects, failure to obtain regulatory approval, and high manufacturing costs. Even after a product is commercially released, governmental agencies may require additional clinical trials or change the labeling requirements for products if additional product side effects are identified, which could have a material adverse effect on the market price of the securities of those health sciences companies.

Certain health sciences companies in which the Trust may invest may be exposed to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals, medical devices or other products. A product liability claim may have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition or securities prices of a company in which the Trust has invested.

All of these factors may cause the value of the Trust’s shares to fluctuate significantly over relatively short periods of time.

Pharmaceutical Company Risk. The success of pharmaceutical companies is highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of drugs. The values of pharmaceutical companies are also dependent on the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights and other proprietary information, and the profitability of pharmaceutical companies may be significantly affected by such things as the expiration of patents or the loss of, or the inability to enforce, intellectual property rights.

The research and other costs associated with developing or procuring new drugs and the related intellectual property rights can be significant, and the results of such research and expenditures are unpredictable. There can be no assurance that those efforts or costs will result in the development of a profitable drug. Pharmaceutical companies may be susceptible to product obsolescence. Pharmaceutical companies also face challenges posed by the increased presence of counterfeit pharmaceutical products, which may negatively impact revenues and patient confidence. Many pharmaceutical companies face intense competition from new products and less costly generic products. Moreover, the process for obtaining regulatory approval by the FDA or other governmental regulatory authorities is long and costly and there can be no assurance that the necessary approvals will be obtained or maintained.

Pharmaceutical companies are also subject to rapid and significant technological change and competitive forces that may make drugs obsolete or make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Pharmaceutical companies may also be subject to expenses and losses from extensive litigation based on intellectual property, product liability and similar claims. Failure of pharmaceutical companies to comply with applicable laws and regulations can result in the imposition of civil and criminal fines, penalties and, in some instances, exclusion of participation in government sponsored programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

Pharmaceutical companies may be adversely affected by government regulation and changes in reimbursement rates. The ability of many pharmaceutical companies to commercialize current and any future products depends in part on the extent to which reimbursement for the cost of such products and related treatments are available from third party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and cost-effectiveness of medical products.

Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of health care products, and there can be no assurance that adequate third-party coverage will be available for pharmaceutical companies to obtain satisfactory price levels for their products.

The international operations of many pharmaceutical companies expose them to risks associated with instability and changes in economic and political conditions, foreign currency fluctuations, changes in foreign regulations and other risks inherent to international business. Additionally, a pharmaceutical company’s valuation can often be based largely on the potential or actual performance of a limited number of products. A pharmaceutical company’s valuation can also be greatly affected if one of its products proves unsafe, ineffective or unprofitable. Such companies also may be characterized by thin capitalization and limited markets, financial resources or personnel, as well as dependence on wholesale distributors. The stock prices of companies in the pharmaceutical industry have been and will likely continue to be extremely volatile.

Biotechnology Company Risk. The success of biotechnology companies is highly dependent on the development, procurement and/or marketing of drugs. The values of biotechnology companies are also dependent on the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights and other proprietary information, and the profitability of biotechnology companies may be significantly affected by such things as the expiration of patents or the loss of, or the inability to enforce, intellectual property rights.

The research and other costs associated with developing or procuring new drugs, products or technologies and the related intellectual property rights can be significant, and the results of such research and expenditures are unpredictable. There can be no assurance that those efforts or costs will result in the development of a profitable drug, product or technology. Moreover, the process for obtaining regulatory approval by the FDA or other governmental regulatory authorities is long and costly and there can be no assurance that the necessary approvals will be obtained or maintained.

Biotechnology companies are also subject to rapid and significant technological change and competitive forces that may make drugs, products or technologies obsolete or make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Biotechnology companies may also be subject to expenses and losses from extensive litigation based on intellectual property, product liability and similar claims. Failure of biotechnology companies to comply with applicable laws and regulations can result in the imposition of civil and/or criminal fines, penalties and, in some instances, exclusion of participation in government sponsored programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

Biotechnology companies may be adversely affected by government regulation and changes in reimbursement rates. Healthcare providers, principally hospitals, that transact with biotechnology companies, often rely on third party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations to reimburse all or a portion of the cost of healthcare related products or services.

Biotechnology companies will continue to be affected by the efforts of governments and third party payors to contain or reduce health care costs. For example, certain foreign markets control pricing or profitability of biotechnology products and technologies. In the United States, there has been, and there will likely continue to be, a number of federal and state proposals to implement similar controls.

A biotechnology company’s valuation could be based on the potential or actual performance of a limited number of products. A biotechnology company’s valuation could be affected if one of its products proves unsafe, ineffective or unprofitable. Such companies may also be characterized by thin capitalization and limited markets, financial resources or personnel. The stock prices of companies involved in the biotechnology sector have been and will likely continue to be extremely volatile.

Managed Care Sector Risk. Companies in the managed care sector often assume the risk of both medical and administrative costs for their customers in return for monthly premiums. The profitability of these products depends in large part on the ability of such companies to predict, price for, and effectively manage medical costs. Managed care companies base the premiums they charge and their Medicare bids on estimates of future medical costs over the fixed contract period; however, many factors may cause actual costs to exceed what was estimated and reflected in premiums or bids. These factors may include medical cost inflation, increased use of services, increased cost of individual services, natural catastrophes or other large-scale medical emergencies, epidemics, the introduction of new or costly treatments and technology, new mandated benefits (such as the expansion of essential benefits coverage) or other regulatory changes and insured population characteristics. Relatively small differences between predicted and actual medical costs or utilization rates as a percentage of revenues can result in significant changes in the financial results of companies in which the Trust invests.

Managed care companies are regulated at the federal, state, local and international levels. Insurance and HMO subsidiaries must be licensed by and are subject to the regulations of the jurisdictions in which they conduct business. Health plans and insurance companies are also regulated under state insurance holding company regulations, and some of their activities may be subject to other health care-related regulations. The health care industry is also regularly subject to negative publicity, including as a result of governmental investigations, adverse media coverage and political debate surrounding industry regulation. Negative publicity may adversely affect stock price, damage the reputation of managed care companies in various markets or foster an increasingly active regulatory environment, which, in turn, could further increase the regulatory burdens under which such companies operate and their costs of doing business.

The implementation of the ACA and other reforms could materially and adversely affect the manner in which managed care companies conduct business and their results of operations, financial position and cash flows. The ACA includes guaranteed coverage and expanded benefit requirements, eliminates pre-existing condition exclusions and annual and lifetime maximum limits, restricts the extent to which policies can be rescinded, establishes

minimum medical loss ratios, creates a federal premium review process, imposes new requirements on the format and content of communications (such as explanations of benefits) between health insurers and their members, grants to members new and additional appeal rights, and imposes new and significant taxes on health insurers and health care benefits. It is expected that the current presidential administration and U.S. Congress will continue to seek to modify, repeal, or otherwise invalidate all, or certain provisions of, the ACA, despite the previous failed attempt by the U.S. House of Representatives to advance a bill that sought to repeal and replace certain aspects of the ACA, as discussed further below under “Risks Associated with the Implementation or Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”

Managed care companies contract with physicians, hospitals, pharmaceutical benefit service providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and other health care providers for services. Such companies’ results of operations and prospects are substantially dependent on their continued ability to contract for these services at competitive prices. Failure to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with health care providers, whether in-network or out-of-network, could materially and adversely affect business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Life Science and Tools Industry Risk. Life sciences industries are characterized by limited product focus, rapidly changing technology and extensive government regulation. In particular, technological advances can render an existing product, which may account for a disproportionate share of a company’s revenue, obsolete. Obtaining governmental approval from agencies such as the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other governmental agencies for new products can be lengthy, expensive and uncertain as to outcome. Any delays in product development may result in the need to seek additional capital, potentially diluting the interests of existing investors such as the Trust. In addition, governmental agencies may, for a variety of reasons, restrict the release of certain innovative technologies of commercial significance, such as genetically altered material. These various factors may result in abrupt advances and declines in the securities prices of particular companies and, in some cases, may have a broad effect on the prices of securities of companies in particular life sciences industries.

Intense competition exists within and among certain life sciences industries, including competition to obtain and sustain proprietary technology protection. Life sciences companies can be highly dependent on the strength of patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights for maintenance of profit margins and market share. The complex nature of the technologies involved can lead to patent disputes, including litigation that may be costly and that could result in a company losing an exclusive right to a patent. Competitors of life sciences companies may have substantially greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing and service capabilities, and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel. Such competitors may succeed in developing technologies and products that are more effective or less costly than any that may be developed by life sciences companies in which the Trust invests and may also prove to be more successful in production and marketing. Competition may increase further as a result of potential advances in health services and medical technology and greater availability of capital for investment in these fields.

With respect to healthcare, cost containment measures already implemented by the federal government, state governments and the private sector have adversely affected certain sectors of these industries. If not repealed, the implementation of the ACA may create increased demand for healthcare products and services but also may have an adverse effect on some companies in the health sciences industry. Increased emphasis on managed care in the United States may put pressure on the price and usage of products sold by life sciences companies in which the Trust may invest and may adversely affect the sales and revenues of life sciences companies.

Product development efforts by life sciences companies may not result in commercial products for many reasons, including, but not limited to, failure to achieve acceptable clinical trial results, limited effectiveness in treating the specified condition or illness, harmful side effects, failure to obtain regulatory approval, and high manufacturing costs. Even after a product is commercially released, governmental agencies may require additional clinical trials or change the labeling requirements for products if additional product side effects are identified, which could have a material adverse effect on the market price of the securities of those life sciences companies.

Certain life sciences companies in which the Trust may invest may be exposed to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals, medical devices or other products. There can be no assurance that a product liability claim would not have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition or securities prices of a company in which the Trust has invested.

Healthcare Technology Sector Risk. Companies in the healthcare technology sector may incur substantial costs related to product-related liabilities. Many of the software solutions, health care devices or services developed by such companies are intended for use in collecting, storing and displaying clinical and health care-related information used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients and in related health care settings such as admissions, billing, etc. The limitations of liability set forth in the companies’ contracts may not be enforceable or may not otherwise protect these companies from liability for damages. Healthcare technology companies may also be subject to claims that are not covered by contract, such as a claim directly by a patient. Although such companies may maintain liability insurance coverage, there can be no assurance that such coverage will cover any particular claim that has been brought or that may be brought in the future, that such coverage will prove to be adequate or that such coverage will continue to remain available on acceptable terms, if at all.

Healthcare technology companies may experience interruption at their data centers or client support facilities. The business of such companies often relies on the secure electronic transmission, data center storage and hosting of sensitive information, including protected health information, financial information and other sensitive information relating to clients, company and workforce. In addition, such companies may perform data center and/or hosting services for certain clients, including the storage of critical patient and administrative data and support services through various client support facilities. If any of these systems are interrupted, damaged or breached by an unforeseen event or actions of a third party, including a cyber-attack, or fail for any extended period of time, it could have a material adverse impact on the results of operations for such companies.

The proprietary technology developed by healthcare technology companies may be subject to claims for infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights of others, or may be infringed or misappropriated by others. Despite protective measures and intellectual property rights, such companies may not be able to adequately protect against theft, copying, reverse-engineering, misappropriation, infringement or unauthorized use or disclosure of their intellectual property, which could have an adverse effect on their competitive position. In addition, these companies are routinely involved in intellectual property infringement or misappropriation claims and it is expected that this activity will continue or even increase as the number of competitors, patents and patent enforcement organizations in the healthcare technology market increases, the functionality of software solutions and services expands, the use of open-source software increases and new markets such as health care device innovation, health care transactions, revenue cycle, population health management and life sciences are entered into. These claims, even if not meritorious, are expensive to defend and are often incapable of prompt resolution.

The success of healthcare technology companies depends, in part, upon the recruitment and retention of key personnel. To remain competitive, such companies must attract, motivate and retain highly skilled managerial, sales, marketing, consulting and technical personnel, including executives, consultants, programmers and systems architects skilled in healthcare technology, health care devices, health care transactions, population health management, revenue cycle and life sciences industries and the technical environments in which solutions, devices and services are needed. Competition for such personnel in the healthcare technology sector is intense in both the United States and abroad. The failure to attract additional qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on healthcare technology companies’ prospects for long-term growth.

Healthcare Services Sector Risk. The operations of healthcare services companies are subject to extensive federal, state and local government regulations, including Medicare and Medicaid payment rules and regulations, federal and state anti-kickback laws, the physician self-referral law and analogous state self-referral prohibition statutes, Federal Acquisition Regulations, the False Claims Act and federal and state laws regarding the collection, use and disclosure of patient health information and the storage, handling and administration of pharmaceuticals. The Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rules related to claims submission, enrollment and licensing requirements, cost reporting, and payment processes impose complex and extensive requirements upon dialysis providers as well. A violation or departure from any of these legal requirements may result in government audits, lower reimbursements, significant fines and penalties, the potential loss of certification, recoupment efforts or voluntary repayments. If healthcare services companies fail to adhere to all of the complex government regulations that apply to their businesses, such companies could suffer severe consequences that would substantially reduce revenues, earnings, cash flows and stock prices.

A substantial percentage of a healthcare services company’s service revenues may be generated from patients who have state Medicaid or other non-Medicare government-based programs, such as coverage through the VA, as their primary coverage. As state governments and other governmental organizations face increasing budgetary pressure, healthcare services companies may in turn face reductions in payment rates, delays in the receipt of payments, limitations on enrollee eligibility or other changes to the applicable programs.

Current economic conditions could adversely affect the business and profitability of healthcare services companies. Among other things, the potential decline in federal and state revenues that may result from such conditions may create additional pressures to contain or reduce reimbursements for services from Medicare, Medicaid and other government sponsored programs. Increasing job losses or slow improvement in the unemployment rate in the United States as a result of adverse economic conditions may result in a smaller percentage of patients being covered by an employer group health plan and a larger percentage being covered by lower paying Medicare and Medicaid programs. Employers may also select more restrictive commercial plans with lower reimbursement rates. To the extent that payors are negatively impacted by a decline in the economy, healthcare services companies may experience further pressure on commercial rates, a further slowdown in collections and a reduction in the amounts they expect to collect. In addition, uncertainty in the financial markets could adversely affect the variable interest rates payable under credit facilities or could make it more difficult to obtain or renew such facilities or to obtain other forms of financing in the future, if at all. Any or all of these factors, as well as other consequences of adverse economic conditions which cannot currently be anticipated, could have a material adverse effect on a healthcare services company’s revenues, earnings and cash flows and otherwise adversely affect its financial condition.

Healthcare Supplies Sector Risk. If healthcare supplies companies are unable to successfully expand their product lines through internal research and development and acquisitions, their business may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, if these companies are unable to successfully grow their businesses through marketing partnerships and acquisitions, their business may be materially and adversely affected.

Consolidation of healthcare providers has increased demand for price concessions and caused the exclusion of suppliers from significant market segments. It is expected that market demand, government regulation, third-party reimbursement policies, government contracting requirements and societal pressures will continue to change the worldwide health sciences industry, resulting in further business consolidations and alliances among customers and competitors. This may exert further downward pressure on the prices of healthcare supplies companies’ products and adversely impact their businesses, financial conditions or results of operations.

Quality is extremely important to healthcare supplies companies and their customers due to the serious and costly consequences of product failure. Quality certifications are critical to the marketing success of their products and services. If a healthcare supplies company fails to meet these standards or fails to adapt to evolving standards, its reputation could be damaged, it could lose customers, and its revenue and results of operations could decline.

The ACA was enacted into law in the United States in March 2010. In addition to a medical device tax, effective as of January 2013, there are many programs and requirements for which the details have not yet been fully established or consequences not fully understood. In December 2015, Congress passed a two-year suspension of the medical device tax from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. On January 22, 2018, Congress extended the moratorium for an additional two years. It is unclear what healthcare programs and regulations will be ultimately implemented at either the federal or state level, but any changes that may decrease reimbursement for healthcare supplies companies’ products, reduce medical procedure volumes or increase cost containment measures could adversely impact the business of such companies. The U.S. Congress to date has not passed any comprehensive legislation that repeals and/or replaces the ACA. However, in connection with the Tax Act signed into law on December 22, 2017, the individual mandate was eliminated at the beginning of 2019, as discussed further below under “Risks Associated with the Implementation or Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”

Healthcare Facilities Sector Risk. A healthcare facility’s ability to negotiate favorable contracts with HMOs, insurers offering preferred provider arrangements and other managed care plans significantly affects the revenues and operating results of such healthcare facilities. In addition, private payers are increasingly attempting to control health care costs through direct contracting with hospitals to provide services on a discounted basis, increased utilization reviews and greater enrollment in managed care programs, such as HMOs and Preferred Provider

Organizations. The trend toward consolidation among private managed care payers tends to increase their bargaining power over prices and fee structures. It is not clear what impact, if any, the increased obligations on private payers imposed by the health care reform law will have on a healthcare facility’s ability to negotiate reimbursement increases. However, if certain provisions of the ACA are implemented, including the establishment of the exchanges, non-government payers may increasingly demand reduced fees. If a healthcare facility is unable to enter into and maintain managed care contractual arrangements on acceptable terms, if it experiences material reductions in the contracted rates received from managed care payers, or if it has difficulty collecting from managed care payers, its results of operations could be adversely affected.

Further changes in the Medicare and Medicaid programs or other government health care programs could have an adverse effect on a healthcare facility’s business. In addition to the changes potentially resulting from the ACA, the Medicare and Medicaid programs are subject to other statutory and regulatory changes, administrative rulings, interpretations and determinations concerning patient eligibility requirements, funding levels and the method of calculating payments or reimbursements, among other things, requirements for utilization review, and federal and state funding restrictions. All of these could materially increase or decrease payments from government programs in the future, as well as affect the cost of providing services to patients and the timing of payments to facilities, which could in turn adversely affect a healthcare facility’s overall business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Healthcare facilities continue to be adversely affected by a high volume of uninsured and underinsured patients, as well as declines in commercial managed care patients. As a result, healthcare facilities continue to experience a high level of uncollectible accounts, and, unless their business mix shifts toward a greater number of insured patients as a result of the ACA or otherwise, the trend of higher co-pays and deductibles reverses, or the economy continues to improve and unemployment rates further decline, it is anticipated that this high level of uncollectible accounts will continue or increase. In addition, regardless of whether the ACA is implemented or repealed, healthcare facilities may continue to experience significant levels of bad debt expense and may have to provide uninsured discounts and charity care for undocumented aliens who are not permitted to enroll in a health insurance exchange or government health care program.

Healthcare Equipment Sector Risk. The medical device markets are highly competitive and a healthcare equipment company may be unable to compete effectively. These markets are characterized by rapid change resulting from technological advances and scientific discoveries. Development by other companies of new or improved products, processes, or technologies may make a healthcare equipment company’s products or proposed products less competitive. In addition, these companies face competition from providers of alternative medical therapies such as pharmaceutical companies.

Medical devices and related business activities are subject to rigorous regulation, including by the FDA, DOJ, and numerous other federal, state, and foreign governmental authorities. These authorities and members of Congress have been increasing their scrutiny of the healthcare equipment industry. In addition, certain states have recently passed or are considering legislation restricting healthcare equipment companies’ interactions with health care providers and requiring disclosure of certain payments to them. It is anticipated that governmental authorities will continue to scrutinize this industry closely, and that additional regulation may increase compliance and legal costs, exposure to litigation, and other adverse effects to operations.

Healthcare equipment companies are substantially dependent on patent and other proprietary rights and failing to protect such rights or to be successful in litigation related to such rights may result in the payment of significant monetary damages and/or royalty payments, may negatively impact the ability of healthcare equipment companies to sell current or future products, or may prohibit such companies from enforcing their patent and other proprietary rights against others.

Quality problems with the processes, goods and services of a healthcare equipment company could harm the company’s reputation for producing high-quality products and erode its competitive advantage, sales and market share. Quality is extremely important to healthcare equipment companies and their customers due to the serious and costly consequences of product failure. Quality certifications are critical to the marketing success of goods and services. If a healthcare equipment company fails to meet these standards, its reputation could be damaged, it could lose customers, and its revenue and results of operations could decline.

Healthcare Distributors Sector Risk. Companies in the healthcare distribution sector operate in markets that are highly competitive. Because of competition, many of these companies face pricing pressures from customers and suppliers. If these companies are unable to offset margin reductions caused by pricing pressures through steps such as effective sourcing and enhanced cost control measures, the financial condition of such companies could be adversely affected. In addition, in recent years, the health sciences industry has continued to consolidate. Further consolidation among customers and suppliers (including branded pharmaceutical manufacturers) could give the resulting enterprises greater bargaining power, which may adversely impact the financial condition of companies in the healthcare distribution sector.

Fewer generic pharmaceutical launches or launches that are less profitable than those previously experienced may have an adverse effect on the profits of companies in the healthcare distribution sector. Additionally, prices for existing generic pharmaceuticals generally decline over time, although this may vary. Price deflation on existing generic pharmaceuticals may have an adverse effect on company profits. With respect to branded pharmaceutical price appreciation, if branded manufacturers increase prices less frequently or by amounts that are smaller than have been experienced historically, healthcare distribution companies may profit less from branded pharmaceutical agreements.

The health sciences industry is highly regulated, and healthcare distribution companies are subject to regulation in the United States at both the federal and state level and in foreign countries. If healthcare distribution companies fail to comply with these regulatory requirements, the financial condition of such companies could be adversely affected.

Due to the nature of the business of healthcare distribution companies, such companies may from time to time become involved in disputes or legal proceedings. For example, some of the products that these companies distribute may be alleged to cause personal injury or violate the intellectual property rights of another party, subjecting such companies to product liability or infringement claims. Litigation is inherently unpredictable, and the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these legal proceedings could adversely affect the cash flows of healthcare distribution companies.

Healthcare distribution companies depend on the availability of various components, compounds, raw materials and energy supplied by others for their operations. Any of these supplier relationships could be interrupted due to events beyond the control of such companies, including natural disasters, or could be terminated. A sustained supply interruption could have an adverse effect on business.

Healthcare REIT Risk. The health sciences industry is highly regulated, and changes in government regulation and reimbursement can have material adverse consequences on its participants, including Healthcare REITs, some of which may be unintended. The health sciences industry is also highly competitive, and the operators and managers of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs may encounter increased competition for residents and patients, including with respect to the scope and quality of care and services provided, reputation and financial condition, physical appearance of the properties, price and location. If tenants, operators and managers of the underlying properties of Healthcare REITs are unable to successfully compete with other operators and managers by maintaining profitable occupancy and rate levels, their ability to meet their respective obligations to Healthcare REITs may be materially adversely affected. There can be no assurance that future changes in government regulation will not adversely affect the health sciences industry, including seniors housing and healthcare operations, tenants and operators, nor can it be certain that tenants, operators and managers of the underlying properties of Healthcare REITs will achieve and maintain occupancy and rate levels that will enable them to satisfy their obligations to a Healthcare REIT. Any adverse changes in the regulation of the health sciences industry or the competitiveness of the tenants, operators and managers of the underlying properties of Healthcare REITs could have a more pronounced effect on a Healthcare REIT than if it had investments outside the seniors housing and health sciences industry. Regulation of the long-term health sciences industry generally has intensified over time both in the number and type of regulations and in the efforts to enforce those regulations. Federal, state and local laws and regulations affecting the health sciences industry include those relating to, among other things, licensure, conduct of operations, ownership of facilities, addition of facilities and equipment, allowable costs, services, prices for services, qualified beneficiaries, quality of care, patient rights, fraudulent or abusive behavior, and financial and other arrangements that may be entered into by healthcare providers. In addition, changes in enforcement policies by federal and state governments have resulted in an increase in the number of inspections, citations of regulatory

deficiencies and other regulatory sanctions, including terminations from the Medicare and Medicaid programs, bars on Medicare and Medicaid payments for new admissions, civil monetary penalties and even criminal penalties. It is not possible to predict the scope of future federal, state and local regulations and legislation, including the Medicare and Medicaid statutes and regulations, or the intensity of enforcement efforts with respect to such regulations and legislation, and any changes in the regulatory framework could have a material adverse effect on the tenants, operators and managers of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on Healthcare REITs themselves.

If tenants, operators and managers of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs fail to comply with the extensive laws, regulations and other requirements applicable to their businesses and the operation of properties, they could become ineligible to receive reimbursement from governmental and private third-party payor programs, face bans on admissions of new patients or residents, suffer civil or criminal penalties or be required to make significant changes to their operations. Tenants, operators and managers of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs also could face increased costs related to healthcare regulation, such as the ACA, or be forced to expend considerable resources in responding to an investigation or other enforcement action under applicable laws or regulations. In such event, the results of operations and financial condition of tenants, operators and managers of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs and the results of operations of properties operated or managed by those entities could be adversely affected, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on Healthcare REITs.

Certain tenants and operators of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs may rely on reimbursement from third-party payors, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, for substantially all of their revenues. Federal and state legislators and regulators have adopted or proposed various cost-containment measures that would limit payments to healthcare providers, and budget crises and financial shortfalls have caused states to implement or consider Medicaid rate freezes or cuts. Private third-party payors also have continued their efforts to control healthcare costs. There is no assurance that tenants and operators of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs who currently depend on governmental or private payor reimbursement will be adequately reimbursed for the services they provide. Significant limits by governmental and private third-party payors on the scope of services reimbursed or on reimbursement rates and fees, whether from legislation, administrative actions or private payor efforts, could have a material adverse effect on the liquidity, financial condition and results of operations of certain tenants and operators of underlying properties of Healthcare REITs, which could affect adversely their ability to comply with the terms of leases and have a material adverse effect on Healthcare REITs.

REITs whose underlying properties are concentrated in a particular industry, such as the healthcare industry, or geographic region are subject to risks affecting such industries or regions. The securities of REITs involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements because of interest rate changes, economic conditions and other factors. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Trust to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price.

Risks Associated with the Implementation or Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In March 2010, the ACA was enacted. The ACA contains a number of provisions that could affect the Trust and its investments over the next several years. These provisions include establishing health insurance exchanges to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans, expanding Medicaid eligibility, subsidizing insurance premiums and creating requirements and incentives for businesses to provide healthcare benefits. Other provisions contain changes to healthcare fraud and abuse laws and expand the scope of the Federal False Claims Act. The ACA contains numerous other measures that could also affect the Trust. For example, payment modifiers are to be developed that will differentiate payments to physicians under federal healthcare programs based on quality of care. In addition, other provisions authorize voluntary demonstration projects relating to the bundling of payments for episodes of hospital care and the sharing of cost savings achieved under the Medicare program. In October 2011 CMS issued a final rule under the ACA that is intended to allow physicians, hospitals and other health care providers to coordinate care for Medicare beneficiaries through ACOs. ACOs are entities consisting of healthcare providers and suppliers organized to deliver services to Medicare beneficiaries and eligible to receive a share of any cost savings the entity can achieve by delivering services to those beneficiaries at a cost below a set baseline and with sufficient quality of care.

Many of the ACA’s most significant reforms, such as the establishment of state-based and federally facilitated insurance exchanges that provide a marketplace for eligible individuals and small employers to purchase health care insurance, became effective only recently. On October 1, 2013, individuals began enrolling in health care insurance plans offered under these state-based and federally-facilitated insurance exchanges, notwithstanding significant technical issues in accessing and enrolling in the federal online exchange. Such issues may have delayed or reduced the purchase of health care insurance by uninsured persons. In order to be covered on the effective date of January 1, 2014 individuals were required to enroll and pay their first premium by December 24, 2013, however, extensions were granted on a case by case basis depending on specific circumstances. Uninsured persons who do not enroll in health care insurance plans will be required to pay a penalty to the Internal Revenue Service, unless a hardship exception applied. The patient responsibility costs related to health care plans obtained through the insurance exchanges may be high, and healthcare companies may experience increased bad debt due to patients’ inability to pay for certain services.

The ACA also allows states to expand their Medicaid programs through an increase in the Medicaid eligibility income limit from a state’s current eligibility levels to 133% of the federal poverty level. It remains unclear to what extent states will expand their Medicaid programs by raising the income limit to 133% of the federal poverty level. As a result of these and other uncertainties, it is impossible to predict whether there will be more uninsured patients than anticipated when the ACA was enacted.

The current presidential administration and the majorities of both houses of the U.S. Congress have expressed interest in modifying, repealing, or otherwise invalidating all, or certain provisions of, the ACA. In January 2017, the House and Senate passed a budget resolution that authorizes congressional committees to draft legislation to repeal all or portions of the ACA and permits such legislation to pass with a majority vote in the Senate. Additionally, President Trump, in January 2017, issued an executive order in which he stated that it is his administration’s policy to seek the prompt repeal of the ACA and directed executive departments and federal agencies to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of the provisions of the ACA to the maximum extent permitted by law. Despite several attempts, the U.S. Congress to date has not passed any comprehensive legislation that repeals and/or replaces the ACA. However, in connection with the Tax Act signed into law on December 22, 2017, the individual mandate was eliminated at the beginning of 2019. The repeal of the individual mandate may have an adverse effect on ACA insurance markets and the healthcare sector and lead to further legislative action. Therefore, the impact the current presidential administration and U.S. Congress may have, if any, on the ACA, and any changes will likely take time to unfold and could have an impact on coverage and reimbursement for healthcare items and services covered by plans that were authorized by the ACA.

Stock markets are volatile, and the prices of equity securities fluctuate based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed-income securities over the long-term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and, in certain periods, have significantly underperformed relative to fixed-income securities. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock held by the Trust. A common stock may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The value of a particular common stock held by the Trust may decline for a number of other reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, the issuer’s historical and prospective earnings, the value of its assets and reduced demand for its goods and services. Also, the prices of common stocks are sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks to which the Trust has exposure. Common stock prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Common equity securities in which the Trust may invest are structurally subordinated to preferred stock, bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and are therefore inherently more risky than preferred stock or debt instruments of such issuers.

Investments in ADRs, EDRs, GDRs and other similar global instruments are generally subject to risks associated with equity securities and investments in Non-U.S. Securities. Unsponsored ADR, EDR and GDR programs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities. As a result, available information concerning the issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, and the prices of unsponsored ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be more volatile than if such instruments were sponsored by the issuer.

Dividends on common equity securities that the Trust may hold are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of an issuer’s board of directors. Companies that have historically paid dividends on their securities are not required to continue to pay dividends on such securities. There is no guarantee that the issuers of the common equity securities in which the Trust invests will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will remain at current levels or increase over time. Therefore, there is the possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future. Dividend producing equity securities, in particular those whose market price is closely related to their yield, may exhibit greater sensitivity to interest rate changes. See “—Fixed-Income Securities Risks—Interest Rate Risk.” The Trust’s investments in dividend producing equity securities may also limit its potential for appreciation during a broad market advance.

The prices of dividend producing equity securities can be highly volatile. Investors should not assume that the Trust’s investments in these securities will necessarily reduce the volatility of the Trust’s NAV or provide “protection,” compared to other types of equity securities, when markets perform poorly.

Smaller capitalization companies may have limited product lines or markets. They may be less financially secure than larger, more established companies. They may depend on a small number of key personnel. If a product fails or there are other adverse developments, or if management changes, the Trust’s investment in a smaller capitalization company may lose substantial value. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts.

The securities of smaller capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization securities or the market as a whole. In addition, smaller capitalization securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings. Investing in smaller capitalization securities requires a longer term view.

Small and Mid-Cap Stock Risk. The Trust may invest in companies with small or medium capitalizations. Smaller and medium capitalization stocks can be more volatile than, and perform differently from, larger capitalization stocks. There may be less trading in a smaller or medium company’s stock, which means that buy and sell transactions in that stock could have a larger impact on the stock’s price than is the case with larger company stocks. Smaller and medium company stocks may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings. Smaller and medium companies may have fewer business lines; changes in any one line of business, therefore, may have a greater impact on a smaller and medium company’s stock price than is the case for a larger company. As a result, the purchase or sale of more than a limited number of shares of a small and medium company may affect its market price. The Trust may need a considerable amount of time to purchase or sell its positions in these securities. In addition, smaller or medium company stocks may not be well known to the investing public.

Investments in Unseasoned Companies Risk. The Trust may invest in the securities of smaller, less seasoned companies. These investments may present greater opportunities for growth but also involve greater risks than customarily are associated with investments in securities of more established companies. Some of the companies in which the Trust may invest will be start-up companies which may have insubstantial operational or earnings history or may have limited products, markets, financial resources or management depth.

Some may also be emerging companies at the research and development stage with no products or technologies to market or approved for marketing. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts. Securities of emerging companies may lack an active secondary market and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than securities of larger, more established companies or stock market averages in general. Competitors of certain companies, which may or may not be in the same industry, may have substantially greater financial resources than many of the companies in which the Trust may invest.

Securities of Smaller and Emerging Growth Companies. Investment in smaller or emerging growth companies involves greater risk than is customarily associated with investments in more established companies. The securities of smaller or emerging growth companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than larger, more established companies or the market average in general. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group.

While smaller or emerging growth company issuers may offer greater opportunities for capital appreciation than large cap issuers, investments in smaller or emerging growth companies may involve greater risks and thus may be considered speculative. The Advisor believes that properly selected companies of this type have the potential to increase their earnings or market valuation at a rate substantially in excess of the general growth of the economy. Full development of these companies and trends frequently takes time.

Small cap and emerging growth securities will often be traded only in the OTC market or on a regional securities exchange and may not be traded every day or in the volume typical of trading on a national securities exchange. As a result, the disposition by the Trust of portfolio securities may require the Trust to make many small sales over a lengthy period of time, or to sell these securities at a discount from market prices or during periods when, in the Advisor’s judgment, such disposition is not desirable.

The process of selection and continuous supervision by the Advisor does not, of course, guarantee successful investment results; however, it does provide access to an asset class not available to the average individual due to the time and cost involved. Careful initial selection is particularly important in this area as many new enterprises have promise but lack certain of the fundamental factors necessary to prosper. Investing in small cap and emerging growth companies requires specialized research and analysis.

Small companies are generally little known to most individual investors although some may be dominant in their respective industries. The Advisor believes that relatively small companies will continue to have the opportunity to develop into significant business enterprises. The Trust may invest in securities of small issuers in the relatively early stages of business development that have a new technology, a unique or proprietary product or service, or a favorable market position. Such companies may not be counted upon to develop into major industrial companies, but the Advisor believes that eventual recognition of their special value characteristics by the investment community can provide above-average long-term growth to the portfolio.

Equity securities of specific small cap issuers may present different opportunities for long-term capital appreciation during varying portions of economic or securities market cycles, as well as during varying stages of their business development. The market valuation of small cap issuers tends to fluctuate during economic or market cycles, presenting attractive investment opportunities at various points during these cycles.

Private companies are generally not subject to SEC reporting requirements, are not required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, the Advisor may not have timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of the private companies in which the Trust invests. There is risk that the Trust may invest on the basis of incomplete or inaccurate information, which may adversely affect the Trust’s investment performance. Private companies in which the Trust may invest may have limited financial resources, shorter operating histories, more asset concentration risk, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render such private companies more vulnerable to

competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as general economic downturns. These companies generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position. These companies may have difficulty accessing the capital markets to meet future capital needs, which may limit their ability to grow or to repay their outstanding indebtedness upon maturity. In addition, the Trust’s investment also may be structured as pay-in-kind securities with minimal or no cash interest or dividends until the company meets certain growth and liquidity objectives. Typically, investments in private companies are in restricted securities that are not traded in public markets and subject to substantial holding periods, so that the Trust may not be able to resell some of its holdings for extended periods, which may be several years. There can be no assurance that the Trust will be able to realize the value of private company investments in a timely manner.

Private Company Management Risk. Private companies are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons; therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on the company. The Trust generally does not intend to hold controlling positions in the private companies in which it invests. As a result, the Trust is subject to the risk that a company may make business decisions with which the Trust disagrees, and that the management and/or stockholders of a portfolio company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that are adverse to the Trust’s interests. Due to the lack of liquidity of such private investments, the Trust may not be able to dispose of its investments in the event it disagrees with the actions of a private portfolio company and may therefore suffer a decrease in the value of the investment.

Private Company Illiquidity Risk. Securities issued by private companies are typically illiquid. If there is no readily available trading market for privately issued securities, the Trust may not be able to readily dispose of such investments at prices that approximate those at which the Trust could sell them if they were more widely traded. See “—Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risk.”

Private Company Valuation Risk. There is typically not a readily available market value for the Trust’s private investments. The Trust values private company investments in accordance with valuation guidelines adopted by the Board, that the Board, in good faith, believes are designed to accurately reflect the fair value of securities valued in accordance with such guidelines. The Trust is not required to but may utilize the services of one or more independent valuation firms to aid in determining the fair value of these investments. Valuation of private company investments may involve application of one or more of the following factors: (i) analysis of valuations of publicly traded companies in a similar line of business, (ii) analysis of valuations for comparable merger or acquisition transactions, (iii) yield analysis and (iv) discounted cash flow analysis. Due to the inherent uncertainty and subjectivity of determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available market value, the fair value of the Trust’s private investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a readily available market value existed for such investments and may differ materially from the amounts the Trust may realize on any dispositions of such investments. In addition, the impact of changes in the market environment and other events on the fair values of the Trust’s investments that have no readily available market values may differ from the impact of such changes on the readily available market values for the Trust’s other investments. The Trust’s NAV could be adversely affected if the Trust’s determinations regarding the fair value of the Trust’s investments were materially higher than the values that the Trust ultimately realizes upon the disposal of such investments.

Reliance on the Advisor Risk. The Trust may enter into private investments identified by the Advisor, in which case the Trust will be more reliant upon the ability of the Advisor to identify, research, analyze, negotiate and monitor such investments, than is the case with investments in publicly traded securities. As little public information exists about many private companies, the Trust will be required to rely on the Advisor’s diligence efforts to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential risks and returns involved in investing in these companies. The costs of diligencing, negotiating and monitoring private investments will be borne by the Trust, which may reduce the Trust’s returns.

Co-Investment Risk. The Trust may also co-invest in private investments sourced by third party investors unaffiliated with either the Trust or the Advisor, such as private equity firms. The Trust’s ability to realize a profit on such investments will be particularly reliant on the expertise of the lead investor in the transaction. To the extent

that the lead investor in such a co-investment opportunity assumes control of the management of the private company, the Trust will be reliant not only upon the lead investor’s ability to research, analyze, negotiate and monitor such investments, but also on the lead investor’s ability to successfully oversee the operation of the company’s business. The Trust’s ability to dispose of such investments is typically severely limited, both by the fact that the securities are unregistered and illiquid and by contractual restrictions that may preclude the Trust from selling such investment. Often the Trust may exit such investment only in a transaction, such as an initial public offering or sale of the company, on terms arranged by the lead investor. Such investments may be subject to additional valuation risk, as the Trust’s ability to accurately determine the fair value of the investment may depend upon the receipt of information from the lead investor. The valuation assigned to such an investment through application of the Trust’s valuation procedures may differ from the valuation assigned to that investment by other co-investors.

Private Company Competition Risk. Many entities may potentially compete with the Trust in making private investments. Many of these competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than the Trust. Some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available to the Trust. In addition, some competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of, or different structures for, private investments than the Trust. Furthermore, many competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the Investment Company Act imposes on the Trust. As a result of this competition, the Trust may not be able to pursue attractive private investment opportunities from time to time.

Private Debt Securities Risk. Private companies in which the Trust invests may be unable to meet their obligations under debt securities held by the Trust, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of the Trust realizing any guarantees it may have obtained in connection with its investment. Private companies in which the Trust invests may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, debt securities in which the Trust invests. Privately issued debt securities are often of below investment grade quality and frequently are unrated. See “—Fixed-Income Securities Risks” and “—Below Investment Grade Securities Risks.”

Affiliation Risk. There is a risk that the Trust may be precluded from investing in certain private companies due to regulatory implications under the Investment Company Act or other laws, rules or regulations or may be limited in the amount it can invest in the voting securities of a private company, in the size of the economic interest it can have in a private company or in the scope of influence it is permitted to have in respect of the management of a private company. Should the Trust be required to treat a private company in which it has invested as an “affiliated person” under the Investment Company Act, the Investment Company Act would impose a variety of restrictions on the Trust’s dealings with the private company. Moreover, these restrictions may arise as a result of investments by other clients of the Advisor or its affiliates in a private company. These restrictions may be detrimental to the performance of the Trust compared to what it would be if these restrictions did not exist, and could impact the universe of investable private companies for the Trust. The fact that many private companies may have a limited number of investors and a limited amount of outstanding equity heightens these risks.

Pre-IPO Securities Risk. Investments in pre-IPO securities involve greater risks than investments in shares of companies that have traded publicly on an exchange for extended periods of time. These investments may present significant opportunities for capital appreciation but involve a high degree of risk that may result in significant decreases in the value of these investments. Issuers of pre-IPO securities may not have established products, experienced management or earnings history. The Trust may not be able to sell such investments when the Advisor deems it appropriate to do so because they are not publicly traded. As such, these investments are generally considered to be illiquid until a company’s public offering (which may never occur) and are often subject to additional contractual restrictions on resale following any public offering that may prevent the Trust from selling its shares of these companies for a period of time. See “—Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risk.” Market conditions, developments within a company, investor perception or regulatory decisions may adversely affect an issuer of pre-IPO securities and delay or prevent such an issuer from ultimately offering its securities to the public. If a company does issue shares in an IPO, IPOs are risky and volatile and may cause the value of the Trust’s investment to decrease significantly.

The Trust may invest without limitation in illiquid or less liquid investments or investments in which no secondary market is readily available or which are otherwise illiquid, including private placement securities. The Trust may not be able to readily dispose of such investments at prices that approximate those at which the Trust could sell such investments if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Trust may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. Limited liquidity can also affect the market price of investments, thereby adversely affecting the Trust’s NAV and ability to make dividend distributions. The financial markets in general, and certain segments of the mortgage-related securities markets in particular, have in recent years experienced periods of extreme secondary market supply and demand imbalance, resulting in a loss of liquidity during which market prices were suddenly and substantially below traditional measures of intrinsic value. During such periods, some investments could be sold only at arbitrary prices and with substantial losses. Periods of such market dislocation may occur again at any time. Privately issued debt securities are often of below investment grade quality, frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as investing in below investment grade public debt securities.

Restricted securities are securities that may not be sold to the public without an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or that may be sold only in a privately negotiated transaction or pursuant to an exemption from registration. For example, Rule 144A under the Securities Act provides an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for the resale of certain restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers, such as the Trust. However, an insufficient number of qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing the Rule 144A-eligible securities that the Trust holds could affect adversely the marketability of certain Rule 144A securities, and the Trust might be unable to dispose of such securities promptly or at reasonable prices. When registration is required to sell a security, the Trust may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and considerable time may pass before the Trust is permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If adverse market conditions develop during this period, the Trust might obtain a less favorable price than the price that prevailed when the Trust decided to sell. The Trust may be unable to sell restricted and other illiquid investments at opportune times or prices.

The Trust is subject to valuation risk, which is the risk that one or more of the securities in which the Trust invests are valued at prices that the Trust is unable to obtain upon sale due to factors such as incomplete data, market instability or human error. The Advisor may use an independent pricing service or prices provided by dealers to value securities at their market value. Because the secondary markets for certain investments may be limited, such instruments may be difficult to value. See “Net Asset Value.” When market quotations are not available, the Advisor may price such investments pursuant to a number of methodologies, such as computer-based analytical modeling or individual security evaluations. These methodologies generate approximations of market values, and there may be significant professional disagreement about the best methodology for a particular type of financial instrument or different methodologies that might be used under different circumstances. In the absence of an actual market transaction, reliance on such methodologies is essential, but may introduce significant variances in the ultimate valuation of the Trust’s investments. Technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers may also impact the Trust’s ability to value its investments and the calculation of the Trust’s NAV.

When market quotations are not readily available or are deemed to be inaccurate or unreliable, the Trust values its investments at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to policies and procedures approved by the Board. Fair value is defined as the amount for which assets could be sold in an orderly disposition over a reasonable period of time, taking into account the nature of the asset. Fair value pricing may require determinations that are inherently subjective and inexact about the value of a security or other asset. As a result, there can be no assurance that fair value priced assets will not result in future adjustments to the prices of securities or other assets, or that fair value pricing will reflect a price that the Trust is able to obtain upon sale, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security or other asset will be materially different from quoted or published prices, from the prices used by others for the same security or other asset and/or from the value that actually could be or is realized upon the sale of that security or other asset. For example, the Trust’s NAV could be adversely affected if the Trust’s determinations regarding the fair value of the Trust’s investments were materially higher than the values that the Trust ultimately realizes upon the disposal of such investments. Where market quotations are not readily available, valuation may

require more research than for more liquid investments. In addition, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation in such cases than for investments with a more active secondary market because there is less reliable objective data available. The Advisor anticipates that up to approximately 25% of the Trust’s net assets (calculated at the time of investment) may be valued using fair value. This percentage may increase over the life of the Trust and may exceed 25% of the Trust’s net assets due to a number of factors, such as when the Trust nears dissolution; outflows of cash from time to time; and changes in the valuation of these investments. The Trust prices its shares daily and therefore all assets, including assets valued at fair value, are valued daily.

The Trust’s NAV per common share is a critical component in several operational matters including computation of advisory and services fees. Consequently, variance in the valuation of the Trust’s investments will impact, positively or negatively, the fees and expenses shareholders will pay.

“New Issues” are IPOs of U.S. equity securities. There is no assurance that the Trust will have access to profitable IPOs and therefore investors should not rely on any past gains from IPOs as an indication of future performance of the Trust. The investment performance of the Trust during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when the Trust is able to do so. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, some companies in IPOs are involved in relatively new industries or lines of business, which may not be widely understood by investors. Some of these companies may be undercapitalized or regarded as developmental stage companies, without revenues or operating income, or the near-term prospects of achieving them. Further, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. When an IPO is brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Trust may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or, if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Trust to buy or sell significant amounts of shares.

Securities of growth companies may be more volatile since such companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their business, and they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. Stocks of companies the Advisor believes are fast-growing may trade at a higher multiple of current earnings than other stocks. The values of these stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other stocks. Earnings disappointments often lead to sharply falling prices because investors buy growth stocks in anticipation of superior earnings growth. If the Advisor’s assessment of the prospects for a company’s earnings growth is wrong, or if the Advisor’s judgment of how other investors will value the company’s earnings growth is wrong, then the price of the company’s stock may fall or may not approach the value that the Advisor has placed on it.

The Advisor may be wrong in its assessment of a company’s value and the stocks the Trust owns may not reach what the Advisor believes are their full values. A particular risk of the Trust’s value stock investments is that some holdings may not recover and provide the capital growth anticipated or a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced. Further, because the prices of value-oriented securities tend to correlate more closely with economic cycles than growth-oriented securities, they generally are more sensitive to changing economic conditions, such as changes in interest rates, corporate earnings, and industrial production. The market may not favor value-oriented stocks and may not favor equities at all. During those periods, the Trust’s relative performance may suffer.

The ability of the Trust to generate current gains from options premiums and to enhance the Trust’s risk-adjusted returns is partially dependent on the successful implementation of its options strategy. Risks that may adversely affect the ability of the Trust to successfully implement its options strategy include the following:

Risks Associated with Options on Securities Generally. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events.

Risks of Writing Options. As the writer of a covered call option, the Trust forgoes, during the option’s life, the opportunity to profit from increases in the market value of the security covering the call option above the sum of the premium and the strike price of the call, but has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. In other words, as the Trust writes covered calls over more of its portfolio, the Trust’s ability to benefit from capital appreciation becomes more limited. The writer of an option has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer of the option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation under the option and must deliver the underlying security at the exercise price.

If the Trust writes call options on individual securities or index call options that include securities, in each case, that are not in the Trust’s portfolio or that are not in the same proportion as securities in the Trust’s portfolio, the Trust will experience loss, which theoretically could be unlimited, if the value of the individual security, index or basket of securities appreciates above the exercise price of the index option written by the Trust.

When the Trust writes put options, it bears the risk of loss if the value of the underlying stock declines below the exercise price minus the put premium. If the option is exercised, the Trust could incur a loss if it is required to purchase the stock underlying the put option at a price greater than the market price of the stock at the time of exercise plus the put premium the Trust received when it wrote the option. While the Trust’s potential gain in writing a put option is limited to the premium received from the purchaser of the put option, the Trust risks a loss equal to the entire exercise price of the option minus the put premium.

Exchange-Listed Options Risks. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist when the Trust seeks to close out an exchange-listed option position. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the OCC may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options). If trading were discontinued, the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist. However, outstanding options on that exchange that had been issued by the OCC as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms. The Trust’s ability to terminate OTC options is more limited than with exchange-traded options and may involve the risk that broker-dealers participating in such transactions will not fulfill their obligations. If the Trust were unable to close out a covered call option that it had written on a security, it would not be able to sell the underlying security unless the option expired without exercise.

The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the options markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets. Call options are marked to market daily and their value will be affected by changes in the value of and dividend rates of the underlying common stocks, an increase in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the stock market and the underlying common stocks and the remaining time to the options’ expiration. Additionally, the

exercise price of an option may be adjusted downward before the option’s expiration as a result of the occurrence of certain corporate events affecting the underlying equity security, such as extraordinary dividends, stock splits, merger or other extraordinary distributions or events. A reduction in the exercise price of an option would reduce the Trust’s capital appreciation potential on the underlying security.

Over-the-Counter Options Risk. The Trust may write (sell) unlisted OTC options. Options written by the Trust with respect to Non-U.S. Securities, indices or sectors generally will be OTC options. OTC options differ from exchange-listed options in that they are two-party contracts, with exercise price, premium and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-listed options. The counterparties to these transactions typically will be major international banks, broker-dealers and financial institutions. The Trust may be required to treat as illiquid securities segregated with respect to certain written OTC options. The OTC options written by the Trust will not be issued, guaranteed or cleared by the OCC. In addition, the Trust’s ability to terminate OTC options may be more limited than with exchange-traded options. Banks, broker-dealers or other financial institutions participating in such transactions may fail to settle a transaction in accordance with the terms of the option as written. In the event of default or insolvency of the counterparty, the Trust may be unable to liquidate an OTC option position.

Index Options Risk. The Trust may sell index put and call options from time to time. The purchaser of an index put option has the right to any depreciation in the value of the index below the exercise price of the option on or before the expiration date. The purchaser of an index call option has the right to any appreciation in the value of the index over the exercise price of the option on or before the expiration date. Because the exercise of index options is settled in cash, sellers of index call options, such as the Trust, cannot provide in advance for their potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the underlying securities. The Trust will lose money if it is required to pay the purchaser of an index option the difference between the cash value of the index on which the option was written and the exercise price and such difference is greater than the premium received by the Trust for writing the option. The value of index options written by the Trust, which will be priced daily, will be affected by changes in the value of and dividend rates of the underlying common stocks in the respective index, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the stock market and the remaining time to the options’ expiration. The value of the index options also may be adversely affected if the market for the index options becomes less liquid or smaller. Distributions paid by the Trust on its common shares may be derived in part from the net index option premiums it receives from selling index put and call options, less the cost of paying settlement amounts to purchasers of the options that exercise their options. Net index option premiums can vary widely over the short-term and long-term.

Limitation on Options Writing Risk. The number of call options the Trust can write is limited by the total assets the Trust holds and is further limited by the fact that all options represent 100 share lots of the underlying common stock. Furthermore, the Trust’s options transactions will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded. These limitations govern the maximum number of options in each class which may be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities or are held or written in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which the Trust may write or purchase may be affected by options written or purchased by other investment advisory clients of the Advisor. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.

Tax Risk. Income on options on individual stocks will generally not be recognized by the Trust for tax purposes until an option is exercised, lapses or is subject to a “closing transaction” (as defined by applicable regulations) pursuant to which the Trust’s obligations with respect to the option are otherwise terminated. If the option lapses without exercise or is otherwise subject to a closing transaction, the premiums received by the Trust from the writing of such options will generally be characterized as short-term capital gain. If an option written by the Trust is exercised, the Trust may recognize taxable gain depending on the exercise price of the option, the option premium, and the tax basis of the security underlying the option. The character of any gain on the sale of the underlying security as short-term or long-term capital gain will depend on the holding period of the Trust in the underlying security. In general, distributions received by shareholders of the Trust that are attributable to short-term capital gains recognized by the Trust from its options writing activities will be taxed to such shareholders as ordinary income and will not be eligible for the reduced tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income.

Index options will generally be “marked-to-market” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Trust will generally recognize gain or loss on the last day of each taxable year equal to the difference between the value of the index option on that date and the adjusted basis of the index option. The adjusted basis of the index option will consequently be increased by such gain or decreased by such loss. Any gain or loss with respect to index options will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 40% of such gain or loss and long-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 60% of such gain or loss. Because the mark-to-market rules may cause the Trust to recognize gain in advance of the receipt of cash, the Trust may be required to dispose of investments in order to meet its distribution requirements.

There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities, including:

Deferral Risk. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, at its discretion, to defer distributions for a stated period without any adverse consequences to the issuer. If the Trust owns a preferred security that is deferring its distributions, the Trust may be required to report income for tax purposes although it has not yet received such income.

Subordination Risk. Preferred securities are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of having priority to corporate income and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than debt instruments.

Limited Voting Rights Risk. Generally, preferred security holders (such as the Trust) have no voting rights with respect to the issuing company unless preferred dividends have been in arrears for a specified number of periods, at which time the preferred security holders may elect a number of directors to the issuer’s board. Generally, once all the arrearages have been paid, the preferred security holders no longer have voting rights. In the case of trust preferred securities, holders generally have no voting rights, except if (i) the issuer fails to pay dividends for a specified period of time or (ii) a declaration of default occurs and is continuing.

Special Redemption Rights Risk. In certain varying circumstances, an issuer of preferred securities may redeem the securities prior to a specified date. For instance, for certain types of preferred securities, a redemption may be triggered by certain changes in U.S. federal income tax or securities laws. As with call provisions, a special redemption by the issuer may negatively impact the return of the security held by the Trust.

Trust Preferred Securities Risk. Trust preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest bearing notes with preferred securities characteristics, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The trust preferred securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates.

Trust preferred securities are typically junior and fully subordinated liabilities of an issuer and benefit from a guarantee that is junior and fully subordinated to the other liabilities of the guarantor. In addition, trust preferred securities typically permit an issuer to defer the payment of income for five years or more without triggering an event of default. Because of their subordinated position in the capital structure of an issuer, the ability to defer payments for extended periods of time without default consequences to the issuer, and certain other features (such as restrictions on common dividend payments by the issuer or ultimate guarantor when full cumulative payments on the trust preferred securities have not been made), these trust preferred securities are often treated as close substitutes for traditional preferred securities, both by issuers and investors.

Trust preferred securities include but are not limited to trust originated preferred securities (“TOPRS^®”); monthly income preferred securities (“MIPS^®”); quarterly income bond securities (“QUIBS^®”); quarterly income debt securities (“QUIDS^®”); quarterly income preferred securities (“QUIPSSM”); corporate trust securities (“CORTS^®”); public income notes (“PINES^®”); and other trust preferred securities.

Trust preferred securities are typically issued with a final maturity date, although some are perpetual in nature. In certain instances, a final maturity date may be extended and/or the final payment of principal may be deferred at the issuer’s option for a specified time without default. No redemption can typically take place unless all cumulative payment obligations have been met, although issuers may be able to engage in open-market repurchases without regard to whether all payments have been paid.

Many trust preferred securities are issued by trusts or other special purpose entities established by operating companies and are not a direct obligation of an operating company. At the time the trust or special purpose entity sells such preferred securities to investors, it purchases debt of the operating company (with terms comparable to those of the trust or special purpose entity securities), which enables the operating company to deduct for tax purposes the interest paid on the debt held by the trust or special purpose entity. The trust or special purpose entity is generally required to be treated as transparent for U.S. federal income tax purposes such that the holders of the trust preferred securities are treated as owning beneficial interests in the underlying debt of the operating company. Accordingly, payments on the trust preferred securities are treated as interest rather than dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The trust or special purpose entity in turn would be a holder of the operating company’s debt and would have priority with respect to the operating company’s earnings and profits over the operating company’s common shareholders, but would typically be subordinated to other classes of the operating company’s debt. Typically a preferred share has a rating that is slightly below that of its corresponding operating company’s senior debt securities.

New Types of Securities Risk. From time to time, preferred securities, including trust preferred securities, have been, and may in the future be, offered having features other than those described herein. The Trust reserves the right to invest in these securities if the Advisor believes that doing so would be consistent with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies. Since the market for these instruments would be new, the Trust may have difficulty disposing of them at a suitable price and time. In addition to limited liquidity, these instruments may present other risks, such as high price volatility.

Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. The market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, when the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security exceeds the conversion price, the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis and thus may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in an issuer’s capital structure and consequently entail less risk than the issuer’s common stock.

The Trust may invest in synthetic convertible securities, which are created through a combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security. A holder of a synthetic convertible security faces the risk of a decline in the price of the security or the level of the index involved in the convertible component, causing a decline in the value of the security or instrument, such as a call option or warrant, purchased to create the synthetic convertible security. Should the price of the stock fall below the exercise price and remain there throughout the exercise period, the entire amount paid for the call option or warrant would be lost. Because a synthetic convertible security includes the income-producing component as well, the holder of a synthetic convertible security also faces the risk that interest rates will rise, causing a decline in the value of the income-producing instrument. Synthetic convertible securities are also subject to the risks associated with derivatives.

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 Trust loses 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.

To the extent that the Trust invests in real estate related investments, including REITs, it will be subject to the risks associated with owning real estate and with the real estate industry generally. These include difficulties in valuing and disposing of real estate, the possibility of declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, the possibility of adverse changes in the climate for real estate, environmental liability risks, the risk of increases in property taxes and operating expenses, possible adverse changes in zoning laws, the risk of casualty or condemnation losses, limitations on rents, the possibility of adverse changes in interest rates and in the credit markets and the possibility of borrowers paying off mortgages sooner than expected, which may lead to reinvestment of assets at lower prevailing interest rates. To the extent that the Trust invests in REITs, it will also be subject to the risk that a REIT may default on its obligations or go bankrupt. REITs are generally not taxed on income timely distributed to shareholders, provided they comply with the applicable requirements of the Code. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Trust, a shareholder will bear not only his or her proportionate share of the expenses of the Trust, but also, indirectly, similar expenses of the REITs. Mortgage REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest the majority of their assets in real property mortgages and which generally derive income primarily from interest payments thereon. Investing in mortgage REITs involves certain risks related to investing in real property mortgages. In addition, mortgage REITs must satisfy highly technical and complex requirements in order to qualify for the favorable tax treatment accorded to REITs under the Code. No assurances can be given that a mortgage REIT in which the Trust invests will be able to continue to qualify as a REIT or that complying with the REIT requirements under the Code will not adversely affect such REIT’s ability to execute its business plan.

Many REITs focus on particular types of properties or properties which are especially suited for certain uses, and those REITs are affected by the risks which impact the users of their properties. For REITs that own healthcare facilities, for example, the physical characteristics of these properties and their operations are highly regulated, and those regulations often require capital expenditures or restrict the profits realizable from these properties. Some of these properties are also highly dependent upon Medicare and Medicaid payments, which are subject to changes in governmental budgets and policies. These properties may experience losses if their tenants receive lower Medicare or Medicaid rates.

The Trust may invest in Non-U.S. Securities. Such investments involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments. Securities markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient or liquid as securities markets in the United States and, therefore, the prices of Non-U.S. Securities can be more volatile. Certain foreign countries may impose restrictions on the ability of issuers of Non-U.S. Securities to make payments of principal and interest or dividends to investors located outside the country. In addition, the Trust will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which could cause the Trust to lose money on its investments in Non-U.S. Securities. The Trust will be subject to additional risks if it invests in Non-U.S. Securities, which include seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits. Non-U.S. Securities may trade on days when the Trust’s common shares are not priced or traded.

Rules adopted under the Investment Company Act permit the Trust to maintain its Non-U.S. Securities and foreign currency in the custody of certain eligible non-U.S. banks and securities depositories, and the Trust generally holds its Non-U.S. Securities and foreign currency 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 Trust’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 Trust 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 Trust can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Trust than for investment companies invested only in the United States.

Certain banks in foreign countries may not be eligible sub-custodians for the Trust, in which event the Trust may be precluded from purchasing securities in certain foreign countries in which it otherwise would invest or the Trust may incur additional costs and delays in providing transportation and custody services for such securities outside of such countries. The Trust may encounter difficulties in effecting portfolio transactions on a timely basis with respect to any securities of issuers held outside their countries.

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 Trust’s ability to purchase or sell Non-U.S. Securities or transfer the Trust’s assets or income back into the United States, or otherwise adversely affect the Trust’s operations. In addition, the U.S. Government has from time to time in the past imposed restrictions, through penalties and otherwise, on foreign investments by U.S. investors such as the Trust. If such restrictions should be reinstituted, it might become necessary for the Trust to invest all or substantially all of its assets in U.S. securities.

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 Trust’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 Trust’s investments.

In general, less information is publicly available with respect to foreign issuers than is available with respect to U.S. companies. 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 the Advisor to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition.

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 Trust to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and pursue legal remedies with respect to its Non-U.S. Securities.

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. Communications between the United States and foreign countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates in markets that still rely on physical settlement. 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 Trust to carry out transactions. If the Trust 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 Trust 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 Trust could be liable for any losses incurred.

While the volume of transactions effected on foreign stock exchanges has increased in recent years, it remains appreciably below that of the NYSE. Accordingly, the Trust’s Non-U.S. Securities may be less liquid and their prices may be more volatile than comparable investments in securities in U.S. companies.

A number of countries have authorized the formation of closed-end investment companies to facilitate indirect foreign investment in their capital markets. The Investment Company Act restricts the Trust’s investment in

securities of other closed-end investment companies. This restriction on investments in securities of closed-end investment companies may limit opportunities for the Trust to invest indirectly in certain smaller capital markets. Shares of certain closed-end investment companies may at times be acquired only at market prices representing premiums to their NAVs. If the Trust acquires shares in closed-end investment companies, shareholders would bear both their proportionate share of the Trust’s expenses (including investment advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of such closed-end investment companies. The Trust also may seek, at its own cost, to create its own investment entities under the laws of certain countries.

The Trust may invest in Non-U.S. Securities of issuers in so-called “emerging markets” (or lesser developed countries, including countries that may be considered “frontier” markets). Such investments are particularly speculative and entail all of the risks of investing in Non-U.S. Securities but to a heightened degree. “Emerging market” countries generally include every nation in the world except developed countries, that is, the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most countries located in Western Europe. Investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets involve certain additional risks that do not generally apply to investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets; (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments; (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, 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; (iv) national policies that may limit the Trust’s investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property.

Foreign investment in certain emerging market countries may be restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude foreign investment in certain emerging market issuers and increase the costs and expenses of the Trust. Certain emerging market countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons in a particular issuer, limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer, limit the investment by foreign persons only to a specific class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors.

Emerging markets 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. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely.

Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies and these countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. 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 Trust could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market. Some countries have pervasiveness of 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 Trust’s investment opportunities include restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that any or all of these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities for the Trust.

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. In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, 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 Trust 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 Trust 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.

Frontier countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets than traditional emerging markets, and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier countries. The economies of frontier countries are less correlated to global economic cycles than those of their more developed counterparts and their markets have low trading volumes and the potential for extreme price volatility and illiquidity. This volatility may be further heightened by the actions of a few major investors. For example, a substantial increase or decrease in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local stock prices and, therefore, the net asset value of the Trust’s shares. These factors make investing in frontier countries significantly riskier than in other countries and any one of them could cause the net asset value of the Trust’s shares to decline.

Governments of many frontier countries in which the Trust may invest may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In some cases, the governments of such frontier countries may own or control certain companies. Accordingly, government actions could have a significant effect on economic conditions in a frontier country and on market conditions, prices and yields of securities in the Trust’s portfolio. Moreover, the economies of frontier countries may be heavily dependent upon international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be, adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade.

Certain foreign governments in countries in which the Trust may invest levy withholding or other taxes on dividend and interest income. Although in some countries a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion of foreign withholding taxes will reduce the income received from investments in such countries.

From time to time, certain companies in which the Trust may invest may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. A company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company that operates in, or has dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As an investor in such companies, the Trust will be indirectly subject to those risks.

Investment in equity securities of issuers operating in certain frontier countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude foreign investment in equity securities

of issuers operating in certain frontier countries and increase the costs and expenses of the Trust. Certain frontier countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons, limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer, limit the investment by foreign persons only to a specific class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. Certain frontier countries may also restrict investment opportunities in issuers in industries deemed important to national interests.

Frontier countries may require governmental approval for the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors, such as the Trust. In addition, if deterioration occurs in a frontier country’s balance of payments, the country could impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. The Trust could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Trust of any restrictions on investments. Investing in local markets in frontier countries may require the Trust to adopt special procedures, seek local government approvals or take other actions, each of which may involve additional costs to the Trust.

Investments in securities of companies domiciled in the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”) involve a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, an authoritarian government, popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions, the impact of regional conflict on the economy and hostile relations with neighboring countries.

Military conflicts, either in response to internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries, could disrupt economic development. The Chinese economy is vulnerable to the long-running disagreements with Hong Kong related to integration. China has a complex territorial dispute regarding the sovereignty of Taiwan; Taiwan-based companies and individuals are significant investors in China. Potential military conflict between China and Taiwan may adversely affect securities of Chinese issuers. In addition, China has strained international relations with Japan, India, Russia and other neighbors due to territorial disputes, historical animosities and other defense concerns. China could be affected by military events on the Korean peninsula or internal instability within North Korea. These situations may cause uncertainty in the Chinese market and may adversely affect the performance of the Chinese economy.

The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. But there can be no assurance that these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite reforms and privatizations of companies in certain sectors, the Chinese government still exercises substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. The Chinese government continues to maintain a major role in economic policy making and investing in China involves risks of losses due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property, and the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.

The Chinese government may intervene in the Chinese financial markets, such as by the imposition of trading restrictions, a ban on “naked” short selling or the suspension of short selling for certain stocks. This may affect market price and liquidity of these stocks, and may have an unpredictable impact on the investment activities of the Trust. Furthermore, such market interventions may have a negative impact on market sentiment which may in turn affect the performance of the securities markets and as a result the performance of the Trust.

In addition, there is less regulation and monitoring of the securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants in China than in the United States. Accordingly, issuers of securities in China are not subject to the same degree of regulation as those in the United States with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, tender offer regulation, stockholder proxy requirements and the requirements mandating timely and accurate disclosure of information. Stock markets in China are in the process of change and further development. This may lead to trading volatility, and difficulties in the settlement and recording of transactions and interpretation and application of the relevant regulations. Custodians may not be able to offer the level of service and safe-keeping in relation to the settlement and administration of securities in China that is customary in more developed markets. In particular, there is a risk that the Trust may not be recognized as the owner of securities that are held on behalf of the Trust by a sub-custodian.

The Renminbi (“RMB”) is currently not a freely convertible currency and is subject to foreign exchange control policies and repatriation restrictions imposed by the Chinese government. The imposition of currency controls may negatively impact performance and liquidity of the Trust as capital may become trapped in the PRC. The Trust could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Trust of any restrictions on investments. Investing in entities either in, or which have a substantial portion of their operations in, the PRC may require the Trust to adopt special procedures, seek local government approvals or take other actions, each of which may involve additional costs and delays to the Trust.

While the Chinese economy has grown rapidly in recent years, there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on the economy and securities market. China’s economy is heavily dependent on export growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the securities of Chinese issuers.

The tax laws and regulations in the PRC are subject to change, including the issuance of authoritative guidance or enforcement, possibly with retroactive effect. The interpretation, applicability and enforcement of such laws by the PRC tax authorities are not as consistent and transparent as those of more developed nations, and may vary over time and from region to region. The application and enforcement of the PRC tax rules could have a significant adverse effect on the Trust and its investors, particularly in relation to capital gains withholding tax imposed upon non-residents. In addition, the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices applicable to Chinese companies may be less rigorous, and may result in significant differences between financial statements prepared in accordance with PRC accounting standards and practices and those prepared in accordance with international accounting standards.

China A-shares are equity securities of companies domiciled in China that trade on Chinese stock exchanges such as the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”) (“A-shares”). Foreign investment in A-shares on the SSE and SZSE has historically not been permitted, other than through a license granted under regulations in the PRC known as the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor and Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor systems. Each license permits investment in A-shares only up to a specified quota.

Investment in eligible A-shares listed and traded on the SSE or SZSE is also permitted through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program or the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect Program, as applicable (each, a “Stock Connect” and collectively, “Stock Connects”). Each Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing links program established by The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“SEHK”), the Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”), the SSE or SZSE, as applicable, and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (“CSDCC”) that aims to provide mutual stock market access between the PRC and Hong Kong by permitting investors to trade and settle shares on each market through their local securities brokers. Under Stock Connects, the Trust’s trading of eligible A-shares listed on the SSE or SZSE, as applicable, would be effectuated through its Hong Kong broker and a securities trading service company established by SEHK.

Although no individual investment quotas or licensing requirements apply to investors in Stock Connects, trading through a Stock Connect’s Northbound Trading Link is subject to daily investment quota limitations which require that buy orders for A-shares be rejected once the daily quota is exceeded (although the Trust will be permitted to sell A-shares regardless of the quota). These limitations may restrict the Trust from investing in A-shares on a timely basis, which could affect the Trust’s ability to effectively pursue its investment strategy. Investment quotas are also subject to change.

Investment in eligible A-shares through a Stock Connect is subject to trading, clearance and settlement procedures that could pose risks to the Trust. A-shares purchased through Stock Connects generally may not be sold or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connects in accordance with applicable rules. For example, the

PRC regulations require that in order for an investor to sell any A-share on a certain trading day, there must be sufficient A-shares in the investor’s account before the market opens on that day. If there are insufficient A-shares in the investor’s account, the sell order will be rejected by the SSE or SZSE, as applicable. SEHK carries out pre-trade checking on sell orders of certain stocks listed on the SSE market (“SSE Securities”) or SZSE market (“SZSE Securities”) of its participants (i.e., stock brokers) to ensure that this requirement is satisfied. While shares must be designated as eligible to be traded under a Stock Connect, those shares may also lose such designation, and if this occurs, such shares may be sold but cannot be purchased through a Stock Connect. In addition, Stock Connects will only operate on days when both the Chinese and Hong Kong markets are open for trading, and banking services are available in both markets on the corresponding settlement days. Therefore, an investment in A-shares through a Stock Connect may subject the Trust to a risk of price fluctuations on days when the Chinese market is open, but a Stock Connect is not trading. Moreover, day (turnaround) trading is not permitted on the A-shares market. If an investor buys A-shares on day “T,” the investor will only be able to sell the A-shares on or after day T+1. Further, since all trades of eligible A-shares must be settled in RMB, investors must have timely access to a reliable supply of offshore RMB, which cannot be guaranteed. There is also no assurance that RMB will not be subject to devaluation. Any devaluation of RMB could adversely affect the Trust’s investments. If the Trust holds a class of shares denominated in a local currency other than RMB, the Trust will be exposed to currency exchange risk if the Trust converts the local currency into RMB for investments in A-shares. The Trust may also incur conversion costs.

A-shares held through the nominee structure under a Stock Connect will be held through HKSCC as nominee on behalf of investors. The precise nature and rights of the Trust as the beneficial owner of the SSE Securities or SZSE Securities through HKSCC as nominee is not well defined under the PRC laws. There is a lack of a clear definition of, and distinction between, legal ownership and beneficial ownership under the PRC laws and there have been few cases involving a nominee account structure in the PRC courts. The exact nature and methods of enforcement of the rights and interests of the Trust under the PRC laws is also uncertain. In the unlikely event that HKSCC becomes subject to winding up proceedings in Hong Kong, there is a risk that the SSE Securities or SZSE Securities may not be regarded as held for the beneficial ownership of the Trust or as part of the general assets of HKSCC available for general distribution to its creditors. Notwithstanding the fact that HKSCC does not claim proprietary interests in the SSE Securities or SZSE Securities held in its omnibus stock account in the CSDCC, the CSDCC as the share registrar for SSE- or SZSE-listed companies will still treat HKSCC as one of the shareholders when it handles corporate actions in respect of such SSE Securities or SZSE Securities. HKSCC monitors the corporate actions affecting SSE Securities and SZSE Securities and keeps participants of Central Clearing and Settlement System (“CCASS”) informed of all such corporate actions that require CCASS participants to take steps in order to participate in them. Investors may only exercise their voting rights by providing their voting instructions to HKSCC through participants of CCASS. All voting instructions from CCASS participants will be consolidated by HKSCC, who will then submit a combined single voting instruction to the relevant SSE- or SZSE-listed company.

The Trust’s investments through a Stock Connect’s Northbound Trading Link are not covered by Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Trust. Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Trust is established to pay compensation to investors of any nationality who suffer pecuniary losses as a result of default of a licensed intermediary or authorized financial institution in relation to exchange-traded products in Hong Kong. In addition, since the Trust carries out Northbound Trading through securities brokers in Hong Kong but not PRC brokers, it is not protected by the China Securities Investor Protection Trust in the PRC.

Market participants are able to participate in Stock Connects subject to meeting certain information technology capability, risk management and other requirements as may be specified by the relevant exchange and/or clearing house. Further, the “connectivity” in Stock Connects requires routing of orders across the border of Hong Kong and the PRC. This requires the development of new information technology systems on the part of SEHK and exchange participants. There is no assurance that the systems of SEHK and market participants will function properly or will continue to be adapted to changes and developments in both markets. In the event that the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading in A-shares through Stock Connects could be disrupted.

The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program launched in November 2014 and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program launched in December 2016 are both in their initial stages. The current regulations are relatively untested and there is no certainty as to how they will be applied or interpreted going forward. In addition, the current regulations are subject to change and there can be no assurance that a Stock Connect will not be discontinued. New regulations may be issued from time to time by the regulators and stock exchanges in China and

Hong Kong in connection with operations, legal enforcement and cross-border trades under Stock Connects. The Trust may be adversely affected as a result of such changes. Furthermore, the securities regimes and legal systems of China and Hong Kong differ significantly and issues may arise from the differences on an on-going basis. In the event that the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading in both markets through Stock Connects could be disrupted and the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives may be adversely affected. In addition, the Trust’s investments in A-shares through Stock Connects are generally subject to Chinese securities regulations and listing rules, among other restrictions. Further, different fees, costs and taxes are imposed on foreign investors acquiring A-shares through Stock Connects, and these fees, costs and taxes may be higher than comparable fees, costs and taxes imposed on owners of other securities providing similar investment exposure.

A-shares may only be bought from, or sold to, the Trust at times when the relevant A-shares may be sold or purchased on the relevant Chinese stock exchange. The A-shares market has a higher propensity for trading suspensions than many other global equity markets. Trading suspensions in certain stocks could lead to greater market execution risk and costs for the Trust. The SSE and SZSE currently apply a daily price limit, generally set at 10%, of the amount of fluctuation permitted in the prices of A-shares during a single trading day. The daily price limit refers to price movements only and does not restrict trading within the relevant limit. There can be no assurance that a liquid market on an exchange will exist for any particular A-share or for any particular time.

There are special risks associated with investments in Japan. If the Trust invests in Japan, the value of the Trust’s shares may vary widely in response to political and economic factors affecting companies in Japan. Political, social or economic disruptions in Japan or in other countries in the region may adversely affect the values of Japanese securities and thus the Trust’s holdings. Additionally, since securities in Japan are denominated and quoted in yen, the value of the Trust’s Japanese securities as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected by fluctuations in the value of the Japanese yen relative to the U.S. dollar. Japanese securities are also subject to the more general risks associated with foreign securities.

The economies of Latin American countries have in the past experienced considerable difficulties, including high inflation rates and high interest rates. The emergence of the Latin American economies and securities markets will require continued economic and fiscal discipline that has been lacking at times in the past, as well as stable political and social conditions. International economic conditions, particularly those in the United States, as well as world prices for oil and other commodities may also influence the development of the Latin American economies.

Some Latin American currencies have experienced steady devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar and certain Latin American countries have had to make major adjustments in their currencies from time to time. In addition, governments of many Latin American countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Governmental actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in Latin American countries, which could affect the companies in which the Trust invests and, therefore, the value of the Trust’s shares. As noted, in the past, many Latin American countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. For companies that keep accounting records in the local currency, inflation accounting rules in some Latin American countries require, for both tax and accounting purposes, that certain assets and liabilities be restated on the company’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits for certain Latin American companies. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and could, in the future, have very negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain Latin American countries.

Substantial limitations may exist in certain countries with respect to the Trust’s ability to repatriate investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities. The Trust could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Trust of any restrictions on investments.

Certain Latin American countries have entered into regional trade agreements that are designed to, among other things, reduce barriers between countries, increase competition among companies and reduce government subsidies in certain industries. No assurances can be given that these changes will be successful in the long-term, or that these changes will result in the economic stability intended. There is a possibility that these trade arrangements will not be fully implemented, or will be partially or completely unwound. It is also possible that a significant participant could choose to abandon a trade agreement, which could diminish its credibility and influence. Any of these occurrences could have adverse effects on the markets of both participating and non-participating countries, including sharp appreciation or depreciation of participants’ national currencies and a significant increase in exchange rate volatility, a resurgence in economic protectionism, an undermining of confidence in the Latin American markets, an undermining of Latin American economic stability, the collapse or slowdown of the drive towards Latin American economic unity, and/or reversion of the attempts to lower government debt and inflation rates that were introduced in anticipation of such trade agreements. Such developments could have an adverse impact on the Trust’s investments in Latin America generally or in specific countries participating in such trade agreements.

Other Latin American market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on sovereign debt, difficulties in enforcing favorable legal judgments in local courts and political and social instability. Legal remedies available to investors in certain Latin American countries may be less extensive than those available to investors in the United States or other foreign countries.

In addition to the risks of investing in foreign securities and the risks of investing in emerging markets, the developing market Asia-Pacific countries are subject to certain additional or specific risks. In many of these markets, there is a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries. Many of these markets also may be affected by developments with respect to more established markets in the region such as in Japan and Hong Kong. Brokers in developing market Asia-Pacific countries typically are fewer in number and less well capitalized than brokers in the United States.

Many of the developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than is the case in the United States and Western European countries. Such instability may result from, among other things: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision-making, including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; and (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection. In addition, the governments of many of such countries, such as Indonesia, have a substantial role in regulating and supervising the economy.

Another risk common to most such countries is that the economy is heavily export oriented and, accordingly, is dependent upon international trade. The existence of overburdened infrastructure and obsolete financial systems also presents risks in certain countries, as do environmental problems. Certain economies also depend to a significant degree upon exports of primary commodities and, therefore, are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices that, in turn, may be affected by a variety of factors.

The rights of investors in developing market Asia-Pacific companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. corporations. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain and/or enforce a judgment in a developing market Asia-Pacific country.

Some developing Asia-Pacific countries prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly their equity markets, by foreign entities. For example, certain countries may require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular company.

Because of the recent formation of the Russian securities markets, the underdeveloped state of Russia’s banking and telecommunication system and the legal and regulatory framework in Russia, settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions are subject to additional risks. Prior to 2013, there was no central registration system for equity share registration in Russia and registration was carried out either by the issuers themselves or by registrars located throughout Russia. These registrars may not have been subject to effective state supervision or licensed with any governmental entity. In 2013, Russia established the National Settlement Depository (“NSD”) as a recognized central securities depository, and title to Russian equities is now based on the records of the NSD and not on the records of the local registrars. The implementation of the NSD is generally expected to decrease the risk of loss in connection with recording and transferring title to securities; however, loss may still occur. Additionally, issuers and registrars remain prominent in the validation and approval of documentation requirements for corporate action processing in Russia, and there remain inconsistent market standards in the Russian market with respect to the completion and submission of corporate action elections. To the extent that the Trust suffers a loss relating to title or corporate actions relating to its portfolio securities, it may be difficult for the Trust to enforce its rights or otherwise remedy the loss. In addition, Russia also may attempt to assert its influence in the region through economic or even military measures, as it did with Georgia in the summer of 2008 and the Ukraine in 2014. Such measures may have an adverse effect on the Russian economy, which may, in turn, negatively impact the Trust.

The United States and the Monetary Union of the European Union, along with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia, Norway, Switzerland and Canada (collectively, the “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities and/or funds invested in prohibited assets, impairing the ability of the Trust to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities and/or assets. Sanctions could also result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities.

Because the Trust may invest in securities denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, changes in foreign currency exchange rates may affect the value of securities held by the Trust and the unrealized appreciation or depreciation of investments. Currencies of certain countries may be volatile and therefore may affect the value of securities denominated in such currencies, which means that the Trust’s NAV could decline as a result of changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. The Advisor may, but is not required to, elect for the Trust to seek to protect itself from changes in currency exchange rates through hedging transactions depending on market conditions. In addition, certain countries, particularly emerging market countries, may impose foreign currency exchange controls or other restrictions on the transferability, repatriation or convertibility of currency.

Fixed-income securities in which the Trust may invest are generally subject to the following risks:

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 Trust may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low interest rates. The U.S. Federal Reserve recently increased the federal funds rate and has indicated that it may raise the federal funds rate further and tighten the monetary supply in the near future. Therefore, there is a risk that interest rates will rise, which will likely drive down prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities. 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 Trust’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Trust, but will be reflected in the Trust’s NAV. The Trust may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by the Advisor. To the extent the Trust invests in debt securities that may be

prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-related securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Trust) 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 NAV of the Trust 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.

During periods in which the Trust may use leverage, such use of leverage will tend to increase the Trust’s interest rate risk. The Trust may utilize certain strategies, including taking positions in futures or interest rate swaps, for the purpose of reducing the interest rate sensitivity of fixed-income securities held by the Trust and decreasing the Trust’s exposure to interest rate risk. The Trust is not required to hedge its exposure to interest rate risk and may choose not to do so. In addition, there is no assurance that any attempts by the Trust to reduce interest rate risk will be successful or that any hedges that the Trust may establish will perfectly correlate with movements in interest rates.

The Trust may invest in variable and floating rate debt instruments, which generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes than longer duration fixed rate instruments, but may decline in value in response to rising interest rates if, for example, the rates at which they pay interest do not rise as much, or as quickly, as market interest rates in general. Conversely, variable and floating rate instruments generally will not increase in value if interest rates decline. The Trust also may invest in inverse floating rate debt securities, which may decrease in value if interest rates increase, and which also may exhibit greater price volatility than fixed rate debt obligations with similar credit quality. To the extent the Trust holds variable or floating rate instruments, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities, which may adversely affect the NAV of the Trust’s common shares.

Issuer Risk. The value of fixed-income securities may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services, historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of the assets of the issuer.

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that one or more fixed-income securities in the Trust’s portfolio will decline in price or fail to pay interest or principal when due because the issuer of the security experiences a decline in its financial status. Credit risk is increased when a portfolio security is downgraded or the perceived creditworthiness of the issuer deteriorates. To the extent the Trust invests in below investment grade securities, it will be exposed to a greater amount of credit risk than a fund that only invests in investment grade securities.

See “—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.” In addition, to the extent the Trust uses credit derivatives, such use will expose it to additional risk in the event that the bonds underlying the derivatives default. The degree of credit risk depends on the issuer’s financial condition and on the terms of the securities.

Prepayment Risk. During periods of declining interest rates, borrowers may exercise their option to prepay principal earlier than scheduled. For fixed rate securities, such payments often occur during periods of declining interest rates, forcing the Trust to reinvest in lower yielding securities, resulting in a possible decline in the Trust’s income and distributions to shareholders. This is known as prepayment or “call” risk. Below investment grade securities frequently have call features that allow the issuer to redeem the security at dates prior to its stated maturity at a specified price (typically greater than par) only if certain prescribed conditions are met (i.e., “call protection”). For premium bonds (bonds acquired at prices that exceed their par or principal value) purchased by the Trust, prepayment risk may be enhanced.

Reinvestment Risk. Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Trust’s portfolio will decline if the Trust invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called fixed-income securities at market interest rates that are below the Trust portfolio’s current earnings rate.

Duration and Maturity Risk. The Trust has no set policy regarding portfolio maturity or duration of the fixed-income securities it may hold. The Advisor may seek to adjust the portfolio’s duration or maturity based on its assessment of current and projected market conditions and all other factors that the Advisor deems relevant.

Any decisions as to the targeted duration or maturity of any particular category of investments or of the Trust’s portfolio generally will be made based on all pertinent market factors at any given time. The Trust may incur costs in seeking to adjust the portfolio’s average duration or maturity. There can be no assurance that the Advisor’s assessment of current and projected market conditions will be correct or that any strategy to adjust the portfolio’s duration or maturity will be successful at any given time. In general, the longer the duration of any fixed-income securities in the Trust’s portfolio, the more exposure the Trust will have to the interest rate risks described above.

Spread Risk. Wider credit spreads and decreasing market values typically represent a deterioration of a debt security’s credit soundness and a perceived greater likelihood of risk or default by the issuer.

The market value of a corporate bond generally may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates. The market value of intermediate and longer term corporate bonds is generally more sensitive to changes in interest rates than is the market value of shorter term corporate bonds. The market value of a corporate bond also may be affected by factors directly related to the issuer, such as investors’ perceptions of the creditworthiness of the issuer, the issuer’s financial performance, perceptions of the issuer in the market place, performance of management of the issuer, the issuer’s capital structure and use of financial leverage and demand for the issuer’s goods and services. Certain risks associated with investments in corporate bonds are described elsewhere in this prospectus in further detail, including under “—Fixed-Income Securities Risks—Credit Risk,” “—Fixed-Income Securities Risks—Interest Rate Risk,” “—Fixed-Income Securities Risks—Prepayment Risk,” “—Inflation Risk” and “—Deflation Risk.” There is a risk that the issuers of corporate bonds may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument. Corporate bonds of below investment grade quality are often high risk and have speculative characteristics and may be particularly susceptible to adverse issuer-specific developments. Corporate bonds of below investment grade quality are subject to the risks described herein under “—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.”

The Trust may invest in securities that are rated, at the time of investment, below investment grade quality (rated Ba/BB or below, or judged to be of comparable quality by the Advisor), which are commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due. The value of high yield, lower quality bonds is affected by the creditworthiness of the issuers of the securities and by general economic and specific industry conditions. Issuers of high yield bonds are not perceived to be as strong financially as those with higher credit ratings. These issuers are more vulnerable to financial setbacks and recession than more creditworthy issuers, which may impair their ability to make interest and principal payments. Lower grade securities may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns. It is likely that an economic recession could severely disrupt the market for such securities and may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it is likely that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default for such securities. See “—Risk Associated with Recent Market Events.”

Lower grade securities, though high yielding, are characterized by high risk. They may be subject to certain risks with respect to the issuing entity and to greater market fluctuations than certain lower yielding, higher rated securities. The secondary market for lower grade securities may be less liquid than that for higher rated securities. Adverse conditions could make it difficult at times for the Trust to sell certain securities or could result in lower prices than those used in calculating the Trust’s NAV. Because of the substantial risks associated with investments in lower grade securities, you could lose money on your investment in common shares of the Trust, both in the short-term and the long-term.

The prices of fixed-income securities generally are inversely related to interest rate changes; however, below investment grade securities historically have been somewhat less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher

quality securities of comparable maturity because credit quality is also a significant factor in the valuation of lower grade securities. On the other hand, an increased rate environment results in increased borrowing costs generally, which may impair the credit quality of low-grade issuers and thus have a more significant effect on the value of some lower grade securities. In addition, the current low rate environment has expanded the historic universe of buyers of lower grade securities as traditional investment grade oriented investors have been forced to accept more risk in order to maintain income. As rates rise, these recent entrants to the low-grade securities market may exit the market and reduce demand for lower grade securities, potentially resulting in greater price volatility.

The Trust may invest in securities rated in the lower rating categories (rated as low as D, or unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by the Advisor). For these securities, the risks associated with below investment grade instruments are more pronounced. The Trust may, subject to its investment policies, purchase stressed or distressed securities, including securities that are in default or the issuers of which are in bankruptcy, which involve heightened risks. See “—Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk.”

Investments in the securities of financially distressed issuers are speculative and involve substantial risks. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Trust may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Trust may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Among the risks inherent in investments in a troubled entity is that it frequently may be difficult to obtain information as to the true financial condition of such issuer. The Advisor’s judgment about the credit quality of the issuer and the relative value and liquidity of its securities may prove to be wrong. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale.

The yields on debt obligations are dependent on a variety of factors, including general market conditions, conditions in the particular market for the obligation, the financial condition of the issuer, the size of the offering, the maturity of the obligation and the ratings of the issue. The ratings of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch, which are described in Appendix A to the SAI, represent their respective opinions as to the quality of the obligations they undertake to rate. Ratings, however, are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, obligations with the same rating, maturity and interest rate may have different market prices. Subsequent to its purchase by the Trust, a rated security may cease to be rated. The Advisor will consider such an event in determining whether the Trust should continue to hold the security.

Because the Trust may purchase securities that are not rated by any rating organization, the Advisor may, after assessing their credit quality, internally assign ratings to certain of those securities in categories similar to those of rating organizations. Some unrated securities may not have an active trading market or may be difficult to value, which means the Trust might have difficulty selling them promptly at an acceptable price. To the extent that the Trust invests in unrated securities, the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives will be more dependent on the Advisor’s credit analysis than would be the case when the Trust invests in rated securities.

U.S. Government debt securities generally involve lower levels of credit risk than other types of fixed-income securities of similar maturities, although, as a result, the yields available from U.S. Government debt securities are generally lower than the yields available from such other securities. Like other fixed-income securities, the values of U.S. Government securities change as interest rates fluctuate.

Various laws enacted for the protection of creditors may apply to indebtedness in which the Trust invests. The information in this and the following paragraph is applicable with respect to U.S. issuers subject to U.S. federal bankruptcy law. Insolvency considerations may differ with respect to other issuers. If, in a lawsuit brought by an unpaid creditor or representative of creditors of an issuer of indebtedness, a court were to find that the issuer did not receive fair consideration or reasonably equivalent value for incurring the indebtedness and that, after giving effect to such indebtedness, the issuer (i) was insolvent, (ii) was engaged in a business for which the remaining assets of such issuer constituted unreasonably small capital or (iii) intended to incur, or believed that it would incur, debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature, such court could determine to invalidate, in whole or in part, such indebtedness as a fraudulent conveyance, to subordinate such indebtedness to existing or future creditors of such issuer, or to recover amounts previously paid by such issuer in satisfaction of such indebtedness. The measure of insolvency for purposes of the foregoing will vary. Generally, an issuer would be considered insolvent at a particular time if the sum of its debts was then greater than all of its property at a fair valuation, or if the present fair saleable value of its assets was then less than the amount that would be required to pay its probable liabilities on its existing debts as they became absolute and matured. There can be no assurance as to what standard a court would apply in order to determine whether the issuer was “insolvent” after giving effect to the incurrence of the indebtedness in which the Trust invested or that, regardless of the method of valuation, a court would not determine that the issuer was “insolvent” upon giving effect to such incurrence. In addition, in the event of the insolvency of an issuer of indebtedness in which the Trust invests, payments made on such indebtedness could be subject to avoidance as a “preference” if made within a certain period of time (which may be as long as one year) before insolvency.

The Trust does not anticipate that it will engage in conduct that would form the basis for a successful cause of action based upon fraudulent conveyance, preference or subordination. There can be no assurance, however, as to whether any lending institution or other party from which the Trust may acquire such indebtedness engaged in any such conduct (or any other conduct that would subject such indebtedness and the Trust to insolvency laws) and, if it did, as to whether such creditor claims could be asserted in a U.S. court (or in the courts of any other country) against the Trust.

Indebtedness consisting of obligations of non-U.S. issuers may be subject to various laws enacted in the countries of their issuance for the protection of creditors. These insolvency considerations will differ depending on the country in which each issuer is located or domiciled and may differ depending on whether the issuer is a non-sovereign or a sovereign entity.

The Trust’s investments and payment obligations may be based on floating rates, such as LIBOR, European Interbank Offer Rate (“EURIBOR”), Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate (“SONIA”), and other similar types of reference rates (“Reference Rates”). The elimination of a Reference Rate or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of Reference Rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those Reference Rates. In addition, any substitute Reference Rate and any pricing adjustments imposed by a regulator or by counterparties or otherwise may adversely affect the Trust’s performance and/or NAV.

In 2017, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a group of large U.S. banks working with the Federal Reserve, announced its selection of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is intended to be a broad measure of secured overnight U.S. Treasury repo rates, as an appropriate replacement for LIBOR. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing the SOFR in 2018, with the expectation that it could be used on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. Bank working groups and regulators in other countries have suggested other alternatives for their markets, including the SONIA in England.

In 2017, the head of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. There remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement Reference Rate. As such, the potential effect of a transition away from LIBOR on the Trust or the financial instruments in which the Trust invests cannot yet be determined.

The use of leverage creates an opportunity for increased common share net investment income dividends, but also creates risks for the holders of common shares. The Trust cannot assure you that the use of leverage, if employed, will result in a higher yield on the common shares. Any leveraging strategy the Trust employs may not be successful.

Leverage involves risks and special considerations for common shareholders, including:

Any decline in the NAV of the Trust’s investments will be borne entirely by the holders of common shares. Therefore, if the market value of the Trust’s portfolio declines, leverage will result in a greater decrease in NAV to the holders of common shares than if the Trust were not leveraged. This greater NAV decrease will also tend to cause a greater decline in the market price for the common shares. While the Trust may from time to time consider reducing any outstanding leverage in response to actual or anticipated changes in interest rates in an effort to mitigate the increased volatility of current income and NAV associated with leverage, there can be no assurance that the Trust will actually reduce any outstanding leverage in the future or that any reduction, if undertaken, will benefit the holders of common shares. Changes in the future direction of interest rates are very difficult to predict accurately. If the Trust were to reduce any outstanding leverage based on a prediction about future changes to interest rates, and that prediction turned out to be incorrect, the reduction in any outstanding leverage would likely operate to reduce the income and/or total returns to holders of common shares relative to the circumstance where the Trust had not reduced any of its outstanding leverage. The Trust may decide that this risk outweighs the likelihood of achieving the desired reduction to volatility in income and share price if the prediction were to turn out to be correct, and determine not to reduce any of its outstanding leverage as described above.

The Trust currently does not intend to borrow money or issue debt securities or preferred shares, but may in the future borrow funds from banks or other financial institutions, or issue debt securities or preferred shares, as described in this prospectus. Certain types of leverage the Trust may use may result in the Trust being subject to covenants relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. The Trust may be subject to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for any debt securities or preferred shares issued by the Trust. The terms of any borrowings or these rating agency guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the Investment Company Act. The Advisor does not believe that these covenants or guidelines will impede it from managing the Trust’s portfolio in accordance with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies.

In addition to the foregoing, the use of leverage treated as indebtedness of the Trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes may reduce the amount of Trust dividends that are otherwise eligible for the dividends received deduction in the hands of corporate shareholders.

The Trust may utilize leverage through investment derivatives. See “—Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk.” The use of certain derivatives will require the Trust to segregate assets to cover its obligations. While the segregated assets may be invested in liquid assets, they may not be used for other operational purposes. Consequently, the use of leverage may limit the Trust’s flexibility and may require that the Trust sell other portfolio investments to pay Trust expenses, to maintain assets in an amount sufficient to cover the Trust’s leveraged exposure or to meet other obligations at a time when it may be disadvantageous to sell such assets.

The Trust may invest in the securities of other investment companies. Such investment companies may also be leveraged, and will therefore be subject to the leverage risks described above. This additional leverage may in certain market conditions reduce the NAV of the Trust’s common shares and the returns to the holders of common shares.

Subject to its investment objectives and policies, the Trust may invest in repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements typically involve the acquisition by the Trust of fixed-income securities from a selling financial institution such as a bank, savings and loan association or broker-dealer. The agreement provides that the Trust will sell the securities back to the institution at a fixed time in the future. The Trust does not bear the risk of a decline in the value of the underlying security unless the seller defaults under its repurchase obligation. In the event of the bankruptcy or other default of a seller of a repurchase agreement, the Trust could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying securities and losses, including possible decline in the value of the underlying security during the period in which the Trust seeks to enforce its rights thereto; possible lack of access to income on the underlying security during this period; and expenses of enforcing its rights. While repurchase agreements involve certain risks not associated with direct investments in fixed-income securities, the Trust follows procedures approved by the Board that are designed to minimize such risks. In addition, the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the repurchase agreement. In the event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, the Trust generally will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercise of the Trust’s right to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Trust could suffer a loss.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risks that the interest income earned on the investment of the proceeds will be less than the interest expense of the Trust, that the market value of the securities sold by the Trust may decline below the price at which the Trust is obligated to repurchase the securities and that the securities may not be returned to the Trust. There is no assurance that reverse repurchase agreements can be successfully employed.

Dollar roll transactions involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Trust is required to purchase may decline below the agreed upon repurchase price of those securities. If the broker/dealer to which the Trust sells securities becomes insolvent, the Trust’s right to purchase or repurchase securities may be restricted. Successful use of dollar rolls may depend upon the Advisor’s ability to predict correctly interest rates and prepayments. There is no assurance that dollar rolls can be successfully employed. These transactions may involve leverage.

The Trust may purchase securities on a when-issued basis (including on a forward commitment or “TBA” (to be announced) basis) and may purchase or sell securities for delayed delivery. When-issued and delayed delivery transactions occur when securities are purchased or sold by the Trust with payment and delivery taking place in the future to secure an advantageous yield or price. Securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis may expose the Trust to counterparty risk of default as well as the risk that securities may experience fluctuations in value prior to their actual delivery. The Trust will not accrue income with respect to a when-issued or delayed delivery security prior to its stated delivery date. Purchasing securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis can involve the additional risk that the price or yield available in the market when the delivery takes place may not be as favorable as that obtained in the transaction itself.

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 securities may decline significantly.

For defensive purposes, the Trust may allocate assets into cash or short-term fixed-income securities without limitation. In doing so, the Trust may succeed in avoiding losses but may otherwise fail to achieve its investment objectives. Further, the value of short-term fixed-income securities may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in credit ratings of the investments. If the Trust holds cash uninvested it will be subject to the credit risk of the depository institution holding the cash.

The Trust may invest in structured products, including structured notes, ELNs and other types of structured products. Holders of structured products bear the risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk.

The Trust 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. While certain structured products enable the investor to acquire interests in a pool of securities without the brokerage and other expenses associated with directly holding the same securities, investors in structured products generally pay their share of the structured product’s administrative and other expenses.

Although it is difficult to predict whether the prices of indices and securities underlying structured products will rise or fall, these prices (and, therefore, the prices of structured products) will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect issuers of securities and capital markets generally. If the issuer of a structured product uses shorter term financing to purchase longer term securities, the issuer may be forced to sell its securities at below market prices if it experiences difficulty in obtaining such financing, which may adversely affect the value of the structured products owned by the Trust.

Structured Notes Risk. Investments in structured notes involve risks, including credit risk and market risk. Where the Trust’s investments in structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, referenced bonds and stock indices, depending on the factor used and the use of multipliers or deflators, changes in interest rates and movement of the factor 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 and any further changes in the reference instrument may then reduce the principal amount payable on maturity. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference instrument or security underlying the note.

Equity-Linked Notes Risk. ELNs are hybrid securities with characteristics of both fixed-income and equity securities. An ELN is a debt instrument, usually a bond, that pays interest based upon the performance of an underlying equity, which can be a single stock, basket of stocks or an equity index. The interest payment on an ELN may in some cases be leveraged so that, in percentage terms, it exceeds the relative performance of the market. ELNs generally are subject to the risks associated with the securities of equity issuers, default risk and counterparty risk. Additionally, because the Trust may use ELNs as an alternative or complement to its options strategy, the use of ELNs in this manner would expose the Trust to the risk that such ELNs will not perform as anticipated, and the risk that the use of ELNs will expose the Trust to different or additional default and counterparty risk as compared to a similar investment executed in an options strategy.

Credit-Linked Notes Risk. A CLN is a derivative instrument. It is a synthetic obligation between two or more parties where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of some obligation (a reference obligation). In addition to the credit risk of the reference obligations and interest rate risk, the buyer/seller of the CLN is subject to counterparty risk.

Event-Linked Securities Risk. Event-linked securities are a form of derivative issued by insurance companies and insurance-related special purpose vehicles that apply securitization techniques to catastrophic property and casualty damages. Unlike other insurable low-severity, high-probability events, the insurance risk of which can be diversified by writing large numbers of similar policies, the holders of a typical event-linked securities are exposed to the risks from high-severity, low-probability events such as that posed by major earthquakes or hurricanes. If a catastrophe occurs that “triggers” the event-linked security, investors in such security may lose some or all of the capital invested. In the case of an event, the funds are paid to the bond sponsor—an insurer, reinsurer or corporation—to cover losses. In return, the bond sponsors pay interest to investors for this catastrophe protection. Event-linked securities can be structured to pay-off on three types of variables—insurance-industry catastrophe loss indices, insured-specific catastrophe losses and parametric indices based on the physical characteristics of catastrophic events. Such variables are difficult to predict or model, and the risk and potential return profiles of event-linked securities may be difficult to assess. Catastrophe-related event-linked securities have been in use since the 1990s, and the securitization and risk-transfer aspects of such event-linked securities are beginning to be employed in other insurance and risk-related areas. No active trading market may exist for certain event-linked securities, which may impair the ability of the Trust to realize full value in the event of the need to liquidate such assets.

Subject to the limitations set forth in the Investment Company Act, the Trust’s investment policies and the Trust’s governing documents or as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust may acquire shares in other investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs, some of which may be affiliated investment companies. The market value of the shares of other investment companies may differ from their NAV. As an investor in investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs, the Trust would bear its ratable share of that entity’s expenses, including its investment advisory and administration fees, while continuing to pay its own advisory and administration fees and other expenses (to the extent not offset by the Advisor through waivers). As a result, shareholders will be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in other investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs (to the extent not offset by the Advisor through waivers).

The securities of other investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs, in which the Trust may invest may be leveraged. As a result, the Trust may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities. An investment in securities of other investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs, that use leverage may expose the Trust to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the Trust’s long-term returns on such securities (and, indirectly, the long-term returns of the Trust’s common shares) will be diminished.

ETFs are generally not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments relating to its index. An ETF typically invests in securities included in, or representative of, its index regardless of their investment merits and does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets.

The Trust may engage in various Strategic Transactions for duration management and other risk management purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of the Trust’s portfolio resulting from trends in the securities markets and changes in interest rates or to protect the Trust’s unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of portfolio securities for investment purposes or to establish a position in the securities markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities or to enhance income or gain. Derivatives are financial contracts or instruments whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index (or relationship between two indices). The Trust also may use derivatives to add leverage to the portfolio and/or to hedge against increases in the Trust’s costs associated with any leverage strategy that it may employ. The use of Strategic Transactions to enhance current income may be particularly speculative.

Strategic Transactions involve risks. The risks associated with Strategic Transactions include (i) the imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets, (ii) the possible default of the counterparty to the transaction, (iii) illiquidity of the derivative instruments, and (iv) high volatility losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited. Although both OTC and exchange-traded derivatives markets may experience a lack of liquidity, OTC non-standardized derivative transactions are generally less liquid than exchange-traded instruments. The illiquidity of the derivatives markets may be due to various factors, including congestion, disorderly markets, limitations on deliverable supplies, the participation of speculators, government regulation and intervention, and technical and operational or system failures. In addition, daily limits on price fluctuations and speculative position limits on exchanges on which the Trust may conduct its transactions in derivative instruments may prevent prompt liquidation of positions, subjecting the Trust to the potential of greater losses. Furthermore, the Trust’s ability to successfully use Strategic Transactions depends on the Advisor’s ability to predict pertinent securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors, which cannot be assured. The use of Strategic Transactions may result in losses greater than if they had not been used, may require the Trust to sell or purchase portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices other than current market values, may limit the amount of appreciation the Trust can realize on an investment or may cause the Trust to hold a security that it might otherwise sell. Additionally, segregated or earmarked liquid assets, amounts paid by the Trust as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to Strategic Transactions are not otherwise available to the Trust for investment purposes. Please see the Trust’s SAI for a more detailed description of Strategic Transactions and the various derivative instruments the Trust may use and the various risks associated with them.

Many OTC derivatives are valued on the basis of dealers’ pricing of these instruments. However, the price at which dealers value a particular derivative and the price that the same dealers would actually be willing to pay for such derivative should the Trust wish or be forced to sell such position may be materially different. Such differences can result in an overstatement of the Trust’s NAV and may materially adversely affect the Trust in situations in which the Trust is required to sell derivative instruments. Exchange-traded derivatives and OTC derivative transactions submitted for clearing through a central counterparty have become subject to minimum initial and variation margin requirements set by the relevant clearinghouse, as well as possible margin requirements mandated by the SEC or the CFTC. The CFTC and federal banking regulators also have imposed margin requirements on non-cleared OTC derivatives, and the SEC has proposed (but not yet finalized) such non-cleared margin requirements. As applicable, margin requirements will increase the overall costs for the Trust.

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 Trust’s hedging transactions will be effective.

Derivatives may give rise to a form of leverage and may expose the Trust to greater risk and increase its costs. Recent legislation calls for new regulation of the derivatives markets. The extent and impact of the regulation is not yet known and may not be known for some time. New regulation may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives.

Counterparty Risk. The Trust will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties to the derivative contracts purchased by the Trust. Because derivative transactions in which the Trust may engage may involve

instruments that are not traded on an exchange or cleared through a central counterparty but are instead traded between counterparties based on contractual relationships, the Trust is subject to the risk that a counterparty will not perform its obligations under the related contracts. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, the Trust may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in bankruptcy or other reorganization proceedings. The Trust may obtain only a limited recovery, or may obtain no recovery, in such circumstances. Although the Trust intends to enter into transactions only with counterparties that the Advisor believes to be creditworthy, there can be no assurance that, as a result, a counterparty will not default and that the Trust will not sustain a loss on a transaction. In the event of the counterparty’s bankruptcy or insolvency, the Trust’s collateral may be subject to the conflicting claims of the counterparty’s creditors, and the Trust may be exposed to the risk of a court treating the Trust as a general unsecured creditor of the counterparty, rather than as the owner of the collateral.

The counterparty risk for cleared derivatives is generally lower than for uncleared OTC derivative transactions since generally a clearing organization becomes substituted for each counterparty to a cleared derivative contract and, in effect, guarantees the parties’ performance under the contract as each party to a trade looks only to the clearing organization for performance of financial obligations under the derivative contract. However, there can be no assurance that a clearing organization, or its members, will satisfy its obligations to the Trust, or that the Trust would be able to recover the full amount of assets deposited on its behalf with the clearing organization in the event of the default by the clearing organization or the Trust’s clearing broker. In addition, cleared derivative transactions benefit from daily marking-to-market and settlement, and segregation and minimum capital requirements applicable to intermediaries. Uncleared OTC derivative transactions generally do not benefit from such protections. This exposes the Trust to the risk that a counterparty will not settle a transaction in accordance with its terms and conditions because of a dispute over the terms of the contract (whether or not bona fide) or because of a credit or liquidity problem, thus causing the Trust to suffer a loss. Such “counterparty risk” is accentuated for contracts with longer maturities where events may intervene to prevent settlement, or where the Trust has concentrated its transactions with a single or small group of counterparties.

In addition, the Trust is subject to the risk that issuers of the instruments in which it invests and trades may default on their obligations under those instruments, and that certain events may occur that have an immediate and significant adverse effect on the value of those instruments. There can be no assurance that an issuer of an instrument in which the Trust invests will not default, or that an event that has an immediate and significant adverse effect on the value of an instrument will not occur, and that the Trust will not sustain a loss on a transaction as a result.

Swaps Risk. Swaps are a type of derivative. Swap agreements involve the risk that the party with which the Trust has entered into the swap will default on its obligation to pay the Trust and the risk that the Trust will not be able to meet its obligations to pay the other party to the agreement. In order to seek to hedge the value of the Trust’s portfolio, to hedge against increases in the Trust’s cost associated with interest payments on any outstanding borrowings or to seek to increase the Trust’s return, the Trust may enter into swaps, including interest rate swap, total return swap (sometimes referred to as a “contract for difference”) and/or credit default swap transactions. In interest rate swap transactions, there is a risk that yields will move in the direction opposite of the direction anticipated by the Trust, which would cause the Trust to make payments to its counterparty in the transaction that could adversely affect Trust performance. In addition to the risks applicable to swaps generally (including counterparty risk, high volatility, illiquidity risk and credit risk), credit default swap transactions involve special risks because they are difficult to value, are highly susceptible to liquidity and credit risk, and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty).

Historically, swap transactions have been individually negotiated non-standardized transactions entered into in OTC markets and have not been subject to the same type of government regulation as exchange-traded instruments. However, since the global financial crisis, the OTC derivatives markets have become subject to comprehensive statutes and regulations. In particular, in the United States, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), signed into law by President Obama on July 21, 2010, requires that certain derivatives with U.S. persons must be executed on a regulated market and a substantial portion of OTC derivatives must be submitted for clearing to regulated clearinghouses. As a result, swap transactions entered into by the Trust may become subject to various requirements applicable to swaps under the Dodd-Frank Act, including

clearing, exchange-execution, reporting and recordkeeping requirements, which may make it more difficult and costly for the Trust to enter into swap transactions and may also render certain strategies in which the Trust might otherwise engage impossible or so costly that they will no longer be economical to implement. Furthermore, the number of counterparties that may be willing to enter into swap transactions with the Trust may also be limited if the swap transactions with the Trust are subject to the swap regulation under the Dodd-Frank Act.

Credit default and total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Trust’s portfolio because, in addition to its Managed Assets, the Trust would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Total return swap agreements are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to the Trust thereunder. The Trust is not required to enter into swap transactions for hedging purposes or to enhance income or gain and may choose not to do so. In addition, the swaps market is subject to a changing regulatory environment. It is possible that regulatory or other developments in the swaps market could adversely affect the Trust’s ability to successfully use swaps.

The Trust may lend securities to financial institutions. Securities lending involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process), “gap” risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees the Trust has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, the Trust would be subject to the risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return the Trust’s securities as agreed, the Trust may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated, plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities. This event could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Trust. The Trust could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments for dividends received by the Trust for securities loaned out by the Trust will generally not be considered qualified dividend income. The securities lending agent will take the tax effects on shareholders of this difference into account in connection with the Trust’s securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt securities loaned out will generally not be tax-exempt income.

Short-selling involves selling securities which may or may not be owned and borrowing the same securities for delivery to the purchaser, with an obligation to replace the borrowed securities at a later date. If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Trust replaces the borrowed security, the Trust will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Trust will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss will be increased, by the transaction costs incurred by the Trust, including the costs associated with providing collateral to the broker-dealer (usually cash and liquid securities) and the maintenance of collateral with its custodian. Although the Trust’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited.

Short-selling necessarily involves certain additional risks. However, if the short seller does not own the securities sold short (an uncovered short sale), the borrowed securities must be replaced by securities purchased at market prices in order to close out the short position, and any appreciation in the price of the borrowed securities would result in a loss. Uncovered short sales expose the Trust to the risk of uncapped losses until a position can be closed out due to the lack of an upper limit on the price to which a security may rise. Purchasing securities to close out the short position can itself cause the price of the securities to rise further, thereby exacerbating the loss. There is the risk that the securities borrowed by the Trust in connection with a short-sale must be returned to the securities lender on short notice. If a request for return of borrowed securities occurs at a time when other short-sellers of the security are receiving similar requests, a “short squeeze” can occur, and the Trust may be compelled to replace borrowed securities previously sold short with purchases on the open market at the most disadvantageous time, possibly at prices significantly in excess of the proceeds received at the time the securities were originally sold short.

Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investment will be worth less in the future, as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of the common shares and distributions on those shares can decline. In addition, during any periods of rising inflation, interest rates on any borrowings by the Trust would likely increase, which would tend to further reduce returns to the holders of common shares.

Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time, which may have an adverse effect on the market valuation of companies, their assets and their revenues. In addition, deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Trust’s portfolio.

The global financial crisis that began in 2008 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities and unprecedented volatility in the markets. Periods of market volatility remain, and may continue to occur in the future, in response to various political, social and economic events both within and outside of the United States. These conditions have resulted in, and in many cases continue to result in, greater price volatility, less liquidity, widening credit spreads and a lack of price transparency, with many securities remaining illiquid and of uncertain value. Such market conditions may adversely affect the Trust, including by making valuation of some of the Trust’s securities uncertain and/or result in sudden and significant valuation increases or declines in the Trust’s holdings. If there is a significant decline in the value of the Trust’s portfolio, this may impact the asset coverage levels for any outstanding leverage the Trust may have.

Risks resulting from any future debt or other economic crisis could also have a detrimental impact on the global economic recovery, the financial condition of financial institutions and the Trust’s business, financial condition and results of operation. Market and economic disruptions have affected, and may in the future affect, consumer confidence levels and spending, personal bankruptcy rates, levels of incurrence and default on consumer debt and home prices, among other factors. To the extent uncertainty regarding the U.S. or global economy negatively impacts consumer confidence and consumer credit factors, the Trust’s business, financial condition and results of operations could be significantly and adversely affected. Downgrades to the credit ratings of major banks could result in increased borrowing costs for such banks and negatively affect the broader economy. Moreover, Federal Reserve policy, including with respect to certain interest rates, may also adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend- and interest-paying securities. Market volatility, rising interest rates and/or unfavorable economic conditions could impair the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives.

As the European debt crisis progressed, the possibility of one or more Eurozone countries exiting the European Monetary Union (“EMU”), or even the collapse of the Euro as a common currency, arose, creating significant volatility at times in currency and financial markets generally. The effects of the collapse of the Euro, or of the exit of one or more countries from the EMU, on the U.S. and global economy and securities markets are impossible to predict and any such events could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Trust’s portfolio. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets, and on the values of the Trust’s portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the Euro as its primary currency, the Trust’s investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to foreign currency risk, illiquidity risk and valuation risk to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in Euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the Euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. The Trust may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

The occurrence of events similar to those in recent years, such as the aftermath of the war in Iraq, instability in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, ongoing epidemics of infectious diseases in certain parts of the world, terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world, social and political discord, debt crises (such as the Greek crisis), sovereign debt downgrades, increasingly strained relations between the United States and a number of foreign countries, including traditional allies, such as certain European countries, and historical adversaries, such as North Korea, Iran, China and Russia, and the international community generally, new and continued political unrest in various countries, such as Venezuela and Spain, the exit or potential exit of one or more countries from the EU or the EMU, continued changes in the balance of political power among and within the branches of the U.S. government, among others, may result in market volatility, may have long term effects on the U.S. and worldwide financial markets, and may cause further economic uncertainties in the United States and worldwide.

The current political climate has intensified concerns about a potential trade war between China and the United States, as each country has recently imposed tariffs on the other country’s products. These actions may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of China’s export industry, which could have a negative impact on the Trust’s performance. U.S. companies that source material and goods from China and those that make large amounts of sales in China would be particularly vulnerable to an escalation of trade tensions. Uncertainty regarding the outcome of the trade tensions and the potential for a trade war could cause the U.S. dollar to decline against safe haven currencies, such as the Japanese yen and the euro. Events such as these and their consequences are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed or other escalating actions may be taken in the future.

The decision made in Brexit to leave the EU has led to volatility in the financial markets of the United Kingdom and more broadly across Europe and may also lead to weakening in consumer, corporate and financial confidence in such markets. The formal notification to the European Council required under Article 50 of the Treaty on EU was made on March 29, 2017, triggering a two year period during which the terms of exit are to be negotiated. Pursuant to an agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU, the date of Brexit has been extended to October 31, 2019. The longer term economic, legal, political and social framework to be put in place between the United Kingdom and the EU are unclear at this stage and are likely to lead to ongoing political and economic uncertainty and periods of exacerbated volatility in both the United Kingdom and in wider European markets for some time. In particular, the decision made in Brexit may lead to a call for similar referendums in other European jurisdictions which may cause increased economic volatility in the European and global markets. This mid- to long-term uncertainty may have an adverse effect on the economy generally and on the ability of the Trust to execute its strategies and to receive attractive returns. In particular, currency volatility may mean that the returns of the Trust and its investments are adversely affected by market movements and may make it more difficult, or more expensive, for the Trust to execute prudent currency hedging policies. Potential decline in the value of the British Pound and/or the Euro against other currencies, along with the potential downgrading of the United Kingdom’s sovereign credit rating, may also have an impact on the performance of portfolio companies or investments located in the United Kingdom or Europe. In light of the above, no definitive assessment can currently be made regarding the impact that Brexit will have on the Trust, its investments or its organization more generally.

The occurrence of any of these above events could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Trust’s portfolio. The Trust does not know how long the securities markets may be affected by similar events and cannot predict the effects of similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets. There can be no assurance that similar events and other market disruptions will not have other material and adverse implications.

The U.S. Government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments, have in the past taken actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility. The withdrawal of Federal Reserve or other U.S. or non-U.S. governmental support could negatively affect financial markets generally and reduce the value and liquidity of certain securities. Additionally, with continued economic recovery and the cessation of certain market support activities, the Trust may face a heightened level of interest rate risk as a result of a rise or increased volatility in interest rates.

Federal, state, and other governments, their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the issuers in which the Trust invests. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Trust is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives.

In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, there appears to be a renewed popular, political and judicial focus on finance related consumer protection. Financial institution practices are also subject to greater scrutiny and criticism generally. In the case of transactions between financial institutions and the general public, there may be a greater tendency toward strict interpretation of terms and legal rights in favor of the consuming public, particularly where there is a real or perceived disparity in risk allocation and/or where consumers are perceived as not having had an opportunity to exercise informed consent to the transaction. In the event of conflicting interests between retail investors holding common shares of a closed-end investment company such as the Trust and a large financial institution, a court may similarly seek to strictly interpret terms and legal rights in favor of retail investors.

The Trust may be affected by governmental action in ways that are not foreseeable, and there is a possibility that such actions could have a significant adverse effect on the Trust and its ability to achieve its investment objectives.

The CFTC subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the investment adviser either (i) invests, directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps (“CFTC Derivatives”), or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. To the extent the Trust uses CFTC Derivatives, it intends to do so below such prescribed levels and will not market itself as a “commodity pool” or a vehicle for trading such instruments. Accordingly, the Advisor has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the CEA. The Advisor is not, therefore, subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA in respect of the Trust.

The Trust is required to deposit funds to margin open positions in cleared derivative instruments (both futures and swaps) with a clearing broker registered as a “futures commission merchant” (“FCM”). The CEA requires an FCM to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to any orders for the purchase or sale of U.S. domestic futures contracts and cleared swaps from the FCM’s proprietary assets. Similarly, the CEA requires each FCM to hold in a separate secure account all funds received from customers with respect to any orders for the purchase or sale of foreign futures contracts and segregate any such funds from the funds received with respect to domestic futures contracts. However, all funds and other property received by an FCM from its customers are held by an FCM on a commingled basis in an omnibus account and amounts in excess of assets posted to the clearing organization may be invested by an FCM in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulation. There is a risk that assets deposited by the Trust with any FCM as margin for futures contracts or commodity options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Trust’s FCM. In addition, the assets of the Trust posted as margin against both swaps and futures contracts may not be fully protected in the event of the FCM’s bankruptcy.

Legal, tax and regulatory changes could occur that may have material adverse effects on the Trust. For example, the regulatory and tax environment for derivative instruments in which the Trust may participate is evolving, and such changes in the regulation or taxation of derivative instruments may have material adverse effects on the value of derivative instruments held by the Trust and the ability of the Trust to pursue its investment strategies.

To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to RICs, the Trust must, among other things, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources and distribute for each taxable year at least 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (generally, ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss). If for any taxable year the Trust does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income for that year (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Trust’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.

The current presidential administration has called for, and in certain instances has begun to implement, significant changes to U.S. fiscal, tax, trade, healthcare, immigration, foreign, and government regulatory policy. In this regard, there is significant uncertainty with respect to legislation, regulation and government policy at the federal level, as well as the state and local levels. Recent events have created a climate of heightened uncertainty and introduced new and difficult-to-quantify macroeconomic and political risks with potentially far-reaching implications. There has been a corresponding meaningful increase in the uncertainty surrounding interest rates, inflation, foreign exchange rates, trade volumes and fiscal and monetary policy. To the extent the U.S. Congress or the current presidential administration implements changes to U.S. policy, those changes may impact, among other things, the U.S. and global economy, international trade and relations, unemployment, immigration, corporate taxes, healthcare, the U.S. regulatory environment, inflation and other areas. Some particular areas identified as subject to potential change, amendment or repeal include the Dodd-Frank Act, including the Volcker Rule and various swaps and derivatives regulations, credit risk retention requirements and the authorities of the Federal Reserve, the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the SEC. Although the Trust cannot predict the impact, if any, of these changes to the Trust’s business, they could adversely affect the Trust’s business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows. Until the Trust knows what policy changes are made and how those changes impact the Trust’s business and the business of the Trust’s competitors over the long term, the Trust will not know if, overall, the Trust will benefit from them or be negatively affected by them.

The risks and uncertainties associated with these policy proposals are heightened by the recent U.S. federal election, which has resulted in different political parties controlling the U.S. House of Representatives, on the one hand, and the U.S. Senate and the Executive Branch, on the other hand. Additional risks arising from the differences in expressed policy preferences among the various constituencies in these branches of the U.S. government has led in the past, and may lead in the future, to short term or prolonged policy impasses, which could, and has, resulted in shutdowns of the U.S. federal government. U.S. federal government shutdowns, especially prolonged shutdowns, could have a significant adverse impact on the economy in general and could impair the ability of issuers to raise capital in the securities markets. Any of these effects could have an adverse impact on companies in the Trust’s portfolio and consequently on the value of their securities and the Trust’s NAV.

The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. The recently enacted Tax Act makes substantial changes to the Code. Among those changes are a significant permanent reduction in the generally applicable corporate tax rate, changes in the taxation of individuals and other non-corporate taxpayers that generally but not universally reduce their taxes on a temporary basis subject to “sunset” provisions, the elimination or modification of various previously allowed deductions (including substantial limitations on the deductibility of interest and, in the case of individuals, the deduction for personal state and local taxes), certain additional limitations on the deduction of net operating losses, certain preferential rates of taxation on certain dividends and certain business income derived by non-corporate taxpayers in comparison to other ordinary income recognized by such taxpayers, and significant changes to the international tax rules. The effect of these, and the many other, changes made in the Tax Act is highly uncertain, both in terms of their direct effect on the taxation of an investment in our common shares and their indirect effect on the value of our assets or our common shares or market conditions generally. Furthermore, many of the provisions of the Tax Act will require guidance through the issuance of Treasury regulations in order to assess their effect. There may be a substantial delay before such regulations are promulgated, increasing the uncertainty as to the ultimate effect of the statutory amendments on the Trust. There also may be technical corrections legislation proposed with respect to the Tax Act, the effect of which cannot be predicted and may be adverse to the Trust or its shareholders.

The Trust is a registered closed-end management investment company and as such is subject to regulations under the Investment Company Act. Generally speaking, any contract or provision thereof that is made, or where performance involves a violation of the Investment Company Act or any rule or regulation thereunder is unenforceable by either party unless a court finds otherwise.

At any time after the date of this prospectus, legislation may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Trust. Legislation or regulation may change the way in which the Trust itself is regulated. The Advisor cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives.

The investment activities of BlackRock, the ultimate parent company of the Advisor, and its Affiliates and their directors, officers and employees and of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (which, through a subsidiary, has a significant economic interest in BlackRock) and its subsidiaries (each with The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., an “Entity” and collectively, the “Entities”) in the management of, or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Trust and its shareholders. BlackRock, its Affiliates and the Entities provide investment management services to other funds and discretionary managed accounts that may follow investment programs similar to that of the Trust. Subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act, BlackRock, its Affiliates and the Entities intend to engage in such activities and may receive compensation from third parties for their services. None of BlackRock, its Affiliates or the Entities are under any obligation to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Trust. As a result, BlackRock, its Affiliates and the Entities may compete with the Trust for appropriate investment opportunities. The results of the Trust’s investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of an Affiliate, and Entity or another account managed by an Affiliate or an Entity and it is possible that the Trust could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates, Entities and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to address potential conflicts of interests. For additional information about potential conflicts of interest and the way in which BlackRock addresses such conflicts, please see “Conflicts of Interest” and “Management of the Trust—Portfolio Management—Potential Material Conflicts of Interest.”

Investors have no authority to make decisions or to exercise business discretion on behalf of the Trust, except as set forth in the Trust’s governing documents. The authority for all such decisions is generally delegated to the Board, which in turn, has delegated the day-to-day management of the Trust’s investment activities to the Advisor, subject to oversight by the Board.

The Trust is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. The Advisor and the individual portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Trust, but there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results. The Trust may be subject to a relatively high level of management risk because the Trust may invest in derivative instruments, which may be highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with equities and bonds.

Market risk is the possibility that the market values of securities owned by the Trust will decline. There is a risk that equity and/or bond markets will go down in value, including the possibility that such markets will go down sharply and unpredictably.

Stock markets are volatile, and the price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock held by the Trust. Also, the price of common stocks is sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks to which the Trust has exposure. Common stock prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur.

The prices of fixed-income securities tend to fall as interest rates rise, and such declines tend to be greater among fixed-income securities with longer maturities. Market risk is often greater among certain types of fixed-income securities, such as zero coupon bonds that do not make regular interest payments but are instead bought at a discount to their face values and paid in full upon maturity. As interest rates change, these securities often fluctuate more in price than securities that make regular interest payments and therefore subject the Trust to greater market risk than a fund that does not own these types of securities.

When-issued and delayed delivery transactions are subject to changes in market conditions from the time of the commitment until settlement, which may adversely affect the prices or yields of the securities being purchased. The greater the Trust’s outstanding commitments for these securities, the greater the Trust’s exposure to market price fluctuations.

Selection risk is the risk that the securities that the Trust’s management selects will underperform the equity and/or bond market, the market relevant indices or other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies.

The Trust is dependent upon services and resources provided by the Advisor, and therefore the Advisor’s parent, BlackRock. The Advisor is not required to devote its full time to the business of the Trust and there is no guarantee or requirement that any investment professional or other employee of the Advisor will allocate a substantial portion of his or her time to the Trust. The loss of one or more individuals involved with the Advisor could have a material adverse effect on the performance or the continued operation of the Trust. For additional information on the Advisor and BlackRock, see “Management of the Trust—Investment Advisor.”

The Trust must rely upon the performance of service providers to perform certain functions, which may include functions that are integral to the Trust’s operations and financial performance. Failure by any service provider to carry out its obligations to the Trust in accordance with the terms of its appointment, to exercise due care and skill or to perform its obligations to the Trust at all as a result of insolvency, bankruptcy or other causes could have a material adverse effect on the Trust’s performance and returns to shareholders. The termination of the Trust’s relationship with any service provider, or any delay in appointing a replacement for such service provider, could materially disrupt the business of the Trust and could have a material adverse effect on the Trust’s performance and returns to shareholders.

The Trust is dependent on the Advisor for certain management services as well as back-office functions. The Advisor depends on information technology systems in order to assess investment opportunities, strategies and markets and to monitor and control risks for the Trust. It is possible that a failure of some kind which causes disruptions to these information technology systems could materially limit the Advisor’s ability to adequately assess and adjust investments, formulate strategies and provide adequate risk control. Any such information technology-related difficulty could harm the performance of the Trust. Further, failure of the back-office functions of the Advisor to process trades in a timely fashion could prejudice the investment performance of the Trust.

With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Trust is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber-attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber-attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber security failures by or breaches of the Advisor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), and the issuers of securities in which the Trust invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Trust’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Trust has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber-attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Trust cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Trust and issuers in which the Trust invests. As a result, the Trust or its shareholders could be negatively impacted.

Misconduct or misrepresentations by employees of the Advisor or the Trust’s service providers could cause significant losses to the Trust. Employee misconduct may include binding the Trust to transactions that exceed authorized limits or present unacceptable risks and unauthorized trading activities, concealing unsuccessful trading activities (which, in any case, may result in unknown and unmanaged risks or losses) or making misrepresentations regarding any of the foregoing. Losses could also result from actions by the Trust’s service providers, including, without limitation, failing to recognize trades and misappropriating assets. In addition, employees and service providers may improperly use or disclose confidential information, which could result in litigation or serious financial harm, including limiting the Trust’s business prospects or future marketing activities. Despite the Advisor’s due diligence efforts, misconduct and intentional misrepresentations may be undetected or not fully comprehended, thereby potentially undermining the Advisor’s due diligence efforts. As a result, no assurances can be given that the due diligence performed by the Advisor will identify or prevent any such misconduct.

The Trust’s annual portfolio turnover rate may vary greatly from year to year, as well as within a given year. Portfolio turnover rate is not considered a limiting factor in the execution of investment decisions for the Trust. A higher portfolio turnover rate results in correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses that are borne by the Trust. High portfolio turnover may result in an increased realization of net short-term capital gains by the Trust which, when distributed to common shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income. Additionally, in a declining market, portfolio turnover may create realized capital losses.

The Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Trust or convert the Trust to open-end status or to change the composition of the Board. Such provisions could limit the ability of shareholders to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Trust. See “Certain Provisions in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws.”

The Trust has adopted certain investment limitations designed to limit investment risk. Some of these limitations are fundamental and thus may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding common shares. See “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investment Restrictions” in the SAI.

The restrictions and other limitations set forth throughout this prospectus and in the SAI apply only at the time of purchase of securities and will not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of the acquisition of securities.

Management of Investment Portfolio and Capital Structure to Limit Leverage Risk

The Trust may take certain actions if short-term interest rates increase or market conditions otherwise change (or the Trust anticipates such an increase or change) and any leverage the Trust may have outstanding begins (or is expected) to adversely affect common shareholders. In order to attempt to offset such a negative impact of any outstanding leverage on common shareholders, the Trust may shorten the average maturity of its investment portfolio (by investing in short-term securities) or may reduce any indebtedness that it may have incurred. As explained above under “Risks—Leverage Risk,” the success of any such attempt to limit leverage risk depends on the Advisor’s ability to accurately predict interest rate or other market changes. Because of the difficulty of making such predictions, the Trust may never attempt to manage its capital structure in the manner described in this paragraph.

If market conditions suggest that employing leverage, or employing additional leverage if the Trust already has outstanding leverage, would be beneficial, the Trust may enter into one or more credit facilities, increase any existing credit facilities, sell preferred shares or engage in additional leverage transactions, subject to the restrictions of the Investment Company Act.

The Trust may use certain Strategic Transactions designed to limit the risk of price fluctuations of securities and to preserve capital. These Strategic Transactions include using swaps, financial futures contracts, options on financial futures or options based on either an index of long-term securities, or on securities whose prices, in the opinion of the Advisor, correlate with the prices of the Trust’s investments. There can be no assurance that Strategic Transactions will be used or used effectively to limit risk, and Strategic Transactions may be subject to their own risks.

The Board is responsible for the overall management of the Trust, including supervision of the duties performed by the Advisor. There are [●] Trustees. A majority of the Trustees are not “interested persons” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of the Trust (“Independent Trustees”). The name and business address of the Trustees and officers of the Trust and their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years are set forth under “Management of the Trust” in the SAI.

The Advisor is responsible for the management of the Trust’s portfolio and provides the necessary personnel, facilities, equipment and certain other services necessary to the operation of the Trust. The Advisor, located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock.

BlackRock is one of the world’s largest publicly-traded investment management firms. As of [●], 2019, BlackRock’s assets under management were approximately $[●] trillion. BlackRock has over 30 years of experience managing closed-end products and, as of [●], 2019, advised a registered closed-end family of [68] exchange-listed active funds with approximately $[●] billion in assets.

BlackRock is independent in ownership and governance, with no single majority shareholder and a majority of independent directors. PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is BlackRock’s largest shareholder.

The Advisor believes that the knowledge and experience of its Health Sciences Team enable it to evaluate the macro environment and assess its impact on the various sub-sectors within the health sciences industry. Within this framework, the Advisor identifies stocks with attractive characteristics, evaluates the use of options and provides ongoing portfolio risk management.

The members of the portfolio management team who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s portfolio are as follows:

Erin Xie, PhD, MBA, Managing Director and portfolio manager, is the head of the Health Sciences team, part of BlackRock’s Active Equity Group. She is the portfolio manager for the Health Sciences equity portfolios. Ms. Xie’s service with the firm dates back to 2001, including her years with State Street Research & Management (SSRM), which merged with BlackRock in 2005. At SSRM, she was a Senior Vice President and portfolio manager responsible for managing the State Street Health Sciences Fund. Prior to joining State Street Research in 2001, Ms. Xie was a research associate with Sanford Bernstein covering the pharmaceutical industry from 1999. From 1994 until 1997, she was a post doctoral research scientist at Columbia University. Ms. Xie earned a BS degree in chemistry from Beijing University in 1988, a PhD degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1993 and a MBA degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management in 1999.

Kyle G. McClements, CFA, Managing Director, is Head of the Equity Derivatives team within BlackRock’s Fundamental Equity division. He is a portfolio manager for equity derivatives overlay and hedging assignments, including BlackRock’s closed-end funds. Mr. McClements’ service with the firm dates back to 2004, including his years with SSRM, which merged with BlackRock in 2005. At SSRM, Mr. McClements was a Vice President and senior derivatives strategist responsible for equity derivative strategy and trading in the Quantitative Equity Group at State Street Research. Prior to joining State Street Research in 2004, Mr. McClements was a senior trader/analyst at Deutsche Asset Management, responsible for derivatives, equity program, technology and energy sector, and foreign exchange trading. Mr. McClements began his career in 1994 as a derivatives analyst with Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette responsible for pricing and performance analytics for the derivatives trading desk.

Christopher M. Accettella, Director, is a member of the Equity Derivatives team within BlackRock’s Fundamental Active Equity division. He is a portfolio manager for equity derivatives overlay and hedging assignments, including BlackRock’s equity closed-end funds. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2005, Mr. Accettella was an institutional sales trader with American Technology Research. From 2001 to 2003, he was with Deutsche Asset Management where he was responsible for derivatives and program trading. Prior to that, he was a senior associate in the Pacific Basin Equity Group at Scudder Investments Singapore Limited. Mr. Accettella began his investment career in 1997 as a portfolio analyst in the European Equity group of Scudder Kemper Investments, Inc.

The SAI provides additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio management team and the ownership of the Trust’s securities by each portfolio manager.

Pursuant to an investment management agreement between the Advisor and the Trust (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Trust has agreed to pay the Advisor a monthly management fee at an annual rate equal to [●]% of the average daily value of the Trust’s Managed Assets.

“Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Trust, (including any assets attributable to money borrowed for investment purposes) minus the sum of the Trust’s accrued liabilities (other than money borrowed for investment purposes). This means that during periods in which the Trust is using leverage, the fee paid to the Advisor will be higher than if the Trust did not use leverage because the fee is calculated as a percentage of the Trust’s Managed Assets, which include those assets purchased with leverage.

A discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the Investment Management Agreement by the Board will be available in the Trust’s first report to shareholders.

Except as otherwise described in this prospectus, the Trust pays, in addition to the fees paid to the Advisor, all other costs and expenses of its operations, including compensation of its Trustees (other than those affiliated with the Advisor), custodian, leveraging expenses, transfer and dividend disbursing agent expenses, legal fees, rating agency fees, listing fees and expenses, expenses of independent auditors, expenses of repurchasing shares, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies and taxes, if any.

The Trust and the Advisor have entered into the Fee Waiver Agreement, pursuant to which the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Trust’s assets attributable to investments in any equity and fixed-income mutual funds and ETFs managed by the Advisor or its affiliates that have a contractual fee, through [●], and may be continued from year to year thereafter, provided that such continuance is specifically approved by the Advisor and the Trust (including by a majority of the Trust’s Independent Trustees). Neither the Advisor nor the Trust is obligated to extend the Fee Waiver Agreement. The Fee Waiver Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, only by the Trust (upon the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust), upon 90 days’ written notice by the Trust to the Advisor.

The NAV of the Trust’s common shares will be computed based upon the value of the Trust’s portfolio securities and other assets. NAV per common share will be determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the NYSE on each business day on which the NYSE is open for trading. The Trust calculates NAV per common share by subtracting the Trust’s liabilities (including accrued expenses, dividends payable and any borrowings of the Trust), and the liquidation value of any outstanding Trust preferred shares from the Trust’s total assets (the value of the securities the Trust holds plus cash or other assets, including interest accrued but not yet received) and dividing the result by the total number of common shares of the Trust outstanding.

Equity Investments. Equity securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), separate trading boards of a securities exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (an “Exchange”) are valued via independent pricing services generally at the Exchange closing price or if an Exchange closing price is not available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which the assets or liabilities are valued; however, under certain circumstances other means of determining current market value may be used. If an equity security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by the Trust on a day on which the Trust values such security, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the value of such security. If the Trust holds both long and short positions in the same security, the last bid price will be applied to securities held long and the last ask price will be applied to securities sold short. If no bid or ask price is available on a day on which the Trust values such security, the prior day’s price will be used, unless the Advisor determines that such prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a fair value asset.

Fixed-Income Investments. Fixed-income securities for which market quotations are readily available are generally valued using such securities’ current market value. The Trust values fixed-income portfolio securities and non-exchange traded derivatives using the last available bid prices or current market quotations provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Trust’s approved independent third-party pricing services, each in accordance with valuation procedures approved by the Board. The pricing services may use matrix pricing or valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values, including transaction data (e.g., recent representative bids and offers), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of: yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; general market conditions; and other factors and assumptions. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but the Trust may hold or transact in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless the Advisor determines such method does not represent fair value. Loan participation notes are generally valued at the mean of the last available bid prices from one or more brokers or dealers as obtained from independent third-party pricing services. Certain fixed-income investments including asset-backed and mortgage related securities may be valued based on valuation models that consider the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the entity, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche.

Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by the Trust on a day on which the Trust values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the value of such option. If no bid or ask price is available on a day on which the Trust values such option, the prior day’s price will be used, unless the Advisor determines that such prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the option in which case such option will be treated as a fair value asset. OTC derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market data factors. Financial futures contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their last sale price or settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations from market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the valuation procedures approved by the Board.

Underlying Funds. Shares of underlying open-end funds are valued at NAV. Shares of underlying exchange-traded closed-end funds or other ETFs will be valued at their most recent closing price.

General Valuation Information. In determining the market value of portfolio investments, the Trust may employ independent third party pricing services, which may use, without limitation, a matrix or formula method that takes into consideration market indexes, matrices, yield curves and other specific adjustments. This may result in the securities being valued at a price different from the price that would have been determined had the matrix or formula

method not been used. All cash, receivables and current payables are carried on the Trust’s books at their face value. The price the Trust could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Trust’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 Trust, and the Trust could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. The Trust’s ability to value its investment may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third party service providers.

Prices obtained from independent third party pricing services, broker-dealers or market makers to value the Trust’s securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time the Trust values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised or updated subsequent to the day on which the Trust valued such security, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination shall be made considering pertinent facts and circumstances surrounding such revision.

In the event that application of the methods of valuation discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method specified by the Board as reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by the Trust (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or by the Advisor (its delegate). Any assets and liabilities which are denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing rates of exchange.

Certain of the securities acquired by the Trust may be traded on foreign exchanges or OTC markets on days on which the Trust’s NAV is not calculated and common shares are not traded. In such cases, the NAV of the Trust’s common shares may be significantly affected on days when investors can neither purchase nor sell shares of the Trust.

Fair Value. When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by the Advisor to be unreliable, the Trust’s investments are valued at fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). Fair Value Assets are valued by the Advisor in accordance with procedures approved by the Board. The Advisor may conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its complete lack of trading, if the Advisor believes a market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies significantly from a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), where the security or other asset or liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a “significant event” is deemed to occur if the Advisor determines, in its business judgment prior to or at the time of pricing the Trust’s assets or liabilities, that it is likely that the event will cause a material change to the last exchange closing price or closing market price of one or more assets or liabilities held by the Trust. On any date the NYSE is open and the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or liability will be valued using the prior day’s price, provided that the Advisor is not aware of any significant event or other information that would cause such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset. For certain foreign securities, a third-party vendor supplies evaluated, systematic fair value pricing based upon the movement of a proprietary multi-factor model after the relevant foreign markets have closed. This systematic fair value pricing methodology is designed to correlate the prices of foreign securities following the close of the local markets to the price that might have prevailed as of the Trust’s pricing time.

The Advisor, with input from the BlackRock Portfolio Management Group, will submit its recommendations regarding the valuation and/or valuation methodologies for Fair Value Assets to BlackRock’s Valuation Committee. The BlackRock Valuation Committee may accept, modify or reject any recommendations. In addition, the Trust’s accounting agent periodically endeavors to confirm the prices it receives from all third party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers, and, with the assistance of the Advisor, to regularly evaluate the values assigned to the securities and other assets and liabilities of the Trust. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to the Board or a Committee thereof.

When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or the BlackRock Pricing Group) shall seek to determine the price that the Trust might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction. The price generally may not be determined based on what the Trust might reasonably expect to receive for selling an asset or liability at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. Fair value determinations shall be based upon all available factors that the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or the BlackRock Pricing Group) deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by the Advisor using proprietary or third party valuation models.

Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Trust’s NAV. As a result, the Trust’s sale or repurchase of its shares at NAV, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.

The Trust’s annual audited financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating to fair value measurements.

Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to investment companies and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect the Trust. For example, the evolution of rules governing the determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities to the extent such rules become more stringent would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value.

Commencing with the Trust’s initial distribution, the Trust intends to make regular monthly cash distributions of all or a portion of its net investment income, including current gains, to common shareholders. We expect to declare the initial monthly dividend on the Trust’s common shares within approximately 45 days after completion of this offering and to pay that initial monthly dividend approximately 60 to 90 days after completion of this offering, depending on market conditions. The Trust will pay common shareholders at least annually all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income. The Investment Company Act generally limits the Trust to one capital gain distribution per year, subject to certain exceptions, including as discussed below in connection with the Level Distribution Plan.

The Trust has, pursuant to an SEC exemptive order granted to certain of BlackRock’s closed-end funds, adopted a plan to support a level distribution of income, capital gains and/or return of capital. The Level Distribution Plan has been approved by the Board and is consistent with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies. Under the Level Distribution Plan, the Trust will distribute all available investment income, including current gains, to its shareholders, consistent with its investment objectives and as required by the Code. If sufficient investment income, including current gains, is not available on a monthly basis, the Trust will distribute long-term capital gains and/or return of capital to shareholders in order to maintain a level distribution. A return of capital distribution may involve a return of the shareholder’s original investment. Though not currently taxable, such a distribution may lower a shareholder’s basis in the Trust, thus potentially subjecting the shareholder to future tax consequences in connection with the sale of Trust shares, even if sold at a loss to the shareholder’s original investment. All or a significant portion of the Trust’s distributions to shareholders during the Trust’s first year of operations may consist of return of capital. Each monthly distribution to shareholders is expected to be at a fixed amount established by the Board, except for extraordinary distributions and potential distribution rate increases or decreases to enable the Trust to comply with the distribution requirements imposed by the Code. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Trust’s investment performance from the amount of these distributions or from the terms of the Level Distribution Plan. The Trust’s total return performance on NAV will be presented in its financial highlights table, which will be available in the Trust’s shareholder reports, every six-months. The Board may amend, suspend or terminate the Level Distribution Plan without prior notice if it deems such actions to be in the best interests of the Trust or its shareholders. The suspension or termination of the Level Distribution Plan could have the effect of

creating a trading discount (if the Trust’s stock is trading at or above NAV) or widening an existing trading discount. The Trust is subject to risks that could have an adverse impact on its ability to maintain level distributions. Examples of potential risks include, but are not limited to, economic downturns impacting the markets, decreased market volatility, companies suspending or decreasing corporate dividend distributions and changes in the Code. Please see “Risks” for a more complete description of the Trust’s risks.

The tax treatment and characterization of the Trust’s distributions may vary significantly from time to time because of the varied nature of the Trust’s investments. The ultimate tax characterization of the Trust’s distributions made in a fiscal year cannot finally be determined until after the end of that fiscal year. As a result, there is a possibility that the Trust may make total distributions during a fiscal year in an amount that exceeds the Trust’s earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In such situations, the amount by which the Trust’s total distributions exceed earnings and profits would generally be treated as a return of capital reducing the amount of a shareholder’s tax basis in such shareholder’s shares, with any amounts exceeding such basis treated as gain from the sale of shares.

Various factors will affect the level of the Trust’s income, including the asset mix and the Trust’s use of hedging. To permit the Trust to maintain a more stable monthly distribution, the Trust may from time to time distribute less than the entire amount of income earned in a particular period. The undistributed income would be available to supplement future distributions. As a result, the distributions paid by the Trust for any particular monthly period may be more or less than the amount of income actually earned by the Trust during that period. Undistributed income will add to the Trust’s NAV and, correspondingly, distributions from undistributed income will deduct from the Trust’s NAV. The Trust intends to distribute any long-term capital gains not distributed under the Level Distribution Plan annually.

Under normal market conditions, the Advisor will seek to manage the Trust in a manner such that the Trust’s distributions are reflective of the Trust’s current and projected earnings levels. The distribution level of the Trust is subject to change based upon a number of factors, including the current and projected level of the Trust’s earnings, and may fluctuate over time.

The Trust reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its monthly distributions at any time and may do so without prior notice to common shareholders.

Shareholders will automatically have all dividends and distributions reinvested in common shares of the Trust issued by the Trust or purchased in the open market in accordance with the Trust’s dividend reinvestment plan unless an election is made to receive cash. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”

Unless the registered owner of common shares elects to receive cash by contacting [●] (the “Reinvestment Plan Agent”), all dividends or other distributions (together, a “dividend”) declared for your common shares of the Trust will be automatically reinvested by the Reinvestment Plan Agent, as agent for shareholders in administering the Trust’s dividend reinvestment plan (the “Reinvestment Plan”), in additional common shares of the Trust. Shareholders who elect not to participate in the Reinvestment Plan will receive all dividends in cash paid by check mailed directly to the shareholder of record (or, if the common shares are held in street or other nominee name, then to such nominee) by the Reinvestment Plan Agent. You may elect not to participate in the Reinvestment Plan and to receive all dividends in cash by contacting the Reinvestment Plan Agent at the address set forth below. Participation in the Reinvestment Plan is completely voluntary and may be terminated or resumed at any time without penalty by telephonic, internet or written notice if received and processed by the Reinvestment Plan Agent prior to the dividend record date. Additionally, the Reinvestment Plan Agent seeks to process notices received after the record date but prior to the payable date and such notices often will become effective by the payable date. Where late notices are not processed by the applicable payable date, such termination or resumption will be effective with respect to any subsequently declared dividend.

Some brokers may automatically elect to receive cash on your behalf and may re-invest that cash in additional common shares of the Trust for you. If you wish for all dividends declared on your common shares of the Trust to be automatically reinvested pursuant to the Reinvestment Plan, please contact your broker.

The Reinvestment Plan Agent will open an account for each common shareholder under the Reinvestment Plan in the same name in which such common shareholder’s common shares are registered. Whenever the Trust declares a dividend payable in cash, non-participants in the Reinvestment Plan will receive cash and participants in the Reinvestment Plan will receive the equivalent in common shares. The common shares will be acquired by the Reinvestment Plan Agent for the participants’ accounts, depending upon the circumstances described below, either (i) through receipt of additional unissued but authorized common shares from the Trust (“newly issued common shares”) or (ii) by purchase of outstanding common shares on the open market (“open-market purchases”). If, on the dividend payment date, the NAV is equal to or less than the market price per share plus estimated per share fees (such condition often referred to as a “market premium”), the Reinvestment Plan Agent will invest the dividend amount in newly issued common shares on behalf of the participants. The number of newly issued common shares to be credited to each participant’s account will be determined by dividing the dollar amount of the dividend by the NAV on the dividend payment date. However, if the NAV is less than 95% of the market price on the dividend payment date, the dollar amount of the dividend will be divided by 95% of the market price on the dividend payment date. If, on the dividend payment date, the NAV is greater than the market price per share plus estimated per share fees (such condition often referred to as a “market discount”), the Reinvestment Plan Agent will invest the dividend amount in common shares acquired on behalf of the participants in open-market purchases. In the event of a market discount on the dividend payment date, the Reinvestment Plan Agent will have until the last business day before the next date on which the common shares trade on an “ex-dividend” basis or 30 days after the dividend payment date, whichever is sooner, to invest the dividend amount in common shares acquired in open-market purchases. It is contemplated that the Trust will pay monthly income dividends. If, before the Reinvestment Plan Agent has completed its open-market purchases, the market price per common share exceeds the NAV per common share, the average per common share purchase price paid by the Reinvestment Plan Agent may exceed the NAV of the common shares, resulting in the acquisition of fewer common shares than if the dividend had been paid in newly issued common shares on the dividend payment date. Because of the foregoing difficulty with respect to open-market purchases, the Reinvestment Plan provides that if the Reinvestment Plan Agent is unable to invest the full dividend amount in open-market purchases, or if the market discount shifts to a market premium during the purchase period, the Reinvestment Plan Agent may cease making open-market purchases and may invest any uninvested portion in newly issued shares. Investments in newly issued shares made in this manner would be made pursuant to the same process described above and the date of issue for such newly issued shares will substitute for the dividend payment date.

The Reinvestment Plan Agent maintains all shareholders’ accounts in the Reinvestment Plan and furnishes written confirmation of all transactions in the accounts, including information needed by shareholders for tax records. Common shares in the account of each Reinvestment Plan participant will be held by the Reinvestment Plan Agent on behalf of the Reinvestment Plan participant, and each shareholder proxy will include those shares purchased or received pursuant to the Reinvestment Plan.

In the case of shareholders such as banks, brokers or nominees, which hold shares for others who are the beneficial owners, the Reinvestment Plan Agent will administer the Reinvestment Plan on the basis of the number of common shares certified from time to time by the record shareholder’s name and held for the account of beneficial owners who participate in the Reinvestment Plan.

The Reinvestment Plan Agent’s fees for the handling of the reinvestment of dividends will be paid by the Trust. However, each participant will pay a $[●] per share fee incurred in connection with open-market purchases, which will be deducted from the value of the dividend. The automatic reinvestment of dividends will not relieve participants of any U.S. federal, state or local income tax that may be payable (or required to be withheld) on such dividends. See “Tax Matters.”

Participants that request a sale of shares through the Reinvestment Plan Agent are subject to a $[●] sales fee and a $[●] per share fee. Per share fees include any applicable brokerage commissions the Reinvestment Plan Agent is required to pay.

The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate the Reinvestment Plan. There is no direct service charge to participants with regard to purchases in the Reinvestment Plan; however, the Trust reserves the right to amend the Reinvestment Plan to include a service charge payable by the participants. Notice of amendments to the Reinvestment Plan will be sent to participants.

All correspondence concerning the Reinvestment Plan should be directed to the Reinvestment Plan Agent, through the internet at [●], or in writing to [●], Telephone: [●]. Overnight correspondence should be directed to the Reinvestment Plan Agent at [●].

The Trust is a statutory trust organized under the laws of Maryland pursuant to a Certificate of Trust, dated as of August 14, 2019, and the Agreement and Declaration of Trust. The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.001 per share. Each common share has one vote and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of this offering, will be fully paid and, under the Maryland Statutory Trust Act, the purchasers of the common shares will have no obligation to make further payments for the purchase of the common shares or contributions to the Trust solely by reason of their ownership of the common shares, except that the Trustees shall have the power to cause shareholders to pay certain expenses of the Trust by setting off charges due from shareholders from declared but unpaid dividends or distributions owed the shareholders and/or by reducing the number of common shares owned by each respective shareholder. If and whenever preferred shares are outstanding, the holders of common shares will not be entitled to receive any distributions from the Trust unless all accrued dividends on preferred shares have been paid, unless asset coverage (as defined in the Investment Company Act) with respect to preferred shares would be at least 200% after giving effect to the distributions and unless certain other requirements imposed by any rating agencies rating the preferred shares have been met. See “Description of Shares—Preferred Shares” in the SAI. All common shares are equal as to dividends, assets and voting privileges and have no conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights. The Trust will send annual and semi-annual reports, including financial statements, to all holders of its shares.

The Trust has no present intention of offering any additional shares, including preferred shares. Any additional offerings of shares, including preferred shares, will require approval by the Board. Any additional offering of common shares will be subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act, which provides that shares may not be issued at a price below the then current NAV, exclusive of sales load, except in connection with an offering to existing holders of common shares or with the consent of a majority of the Trust’s outstanding voting securities.

The Trust’s common shares are expected to be listed on the NYSE, subject to notice of issuance, under the symbol “[●].”

The Advisor has agreed to pay all of the Trust’s organizational expenses and all offering costs associated with this offering. The Trust is not obligated to repay any such organizational expenses or offering costs paid by the Advisor.

Unlike open-end funds, closed-end funds like the Trust do not continuously offer shares and do not provide daily redemptions. Rather, if a shareholder determines to buy additional common shares or sell shares already held, the shareholder may do so by trading through a broker on the NYSE or otherwise. Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade on an exchange at prices lower than NAV. Shares of closed-end investment companies like the Trust have during some periods traded at prices higher than NAV and during other periods have traded at prices lower than NAV. Because the market value of the common shares may be influenced by such factors as dividend levels (which are in turn affected by expenses), call protection on its portfolio securities, dividend stability, portfolio credit quality, the Trust’s NAV, relative demand for and supply of such shares in the market, general market and economic conditions and other factors beyond the control of the Trust, the Trust cannot assure you that common shares will trade at a price equal to or higher than NAV in the future. The common shares are designed primarily for long-term investors and you should not purchase the common shares if you intend to sell them soon after purchase. See “Repurchase of Common Shares” below and “Repurchase of Common Shares” in the SAI.

The Agreement and Declaration of Trust provides that the Board may authorize and issue preferred shares, with rights as determined by the Board, by action of the Board without the approval of the holders of the common shares. Holders of common shares have no preemptive right to purchase any preferred shares that might be issued. The Trust does not currently intend to issue preferred shares.

Under the Investment Company Act, the Trust is not permitted to issue preferred shares unless immediately after such issuance the value of the Trust’s total assets is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the outstanding preferred shares (i.e., the liquidation value may not exceed 50% of the Trust’s total assets). In addition, the Trust is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its common shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the value of the Trust’s total assets is at least 200% of such liquidation value. If the Trust issues preferred shares, it may be subject to restrictions imposed by the guidelines of one or more rating agencies that may issue ratings for preferred shares issued by the Trust. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed on the Trust by the Investment Company Act. It is not anticipated that these covenants or guidelines would impede the Advisor from managing the Trust’s portfolio in accordance with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies. Please see “Description of Shares” in the SAI for more information.

The Agreement and Declaration of Trust includes provisions that could have the effect of limiting the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Trust or to change the composition of the Board. This could have the effect of depriving shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control over the Trust. Such attempts could have the effect of increasing the expenses of the Trust and disrupting the normal operation of the Trust. The Board is divided into three classes. At each annual meeting of shareholders the term of only one class of Trustees expires and only the Trustees in that one class stand for re-election. Trustees standing for election at an annual meeting of shareholders are elected to a three-year term. This provision could delay for up to two years the replacement of a majority of the Board. A Trustee may be removed from office for cause only, and only by the action of a majority of the remaining Trustees followed by a vote of the holders of at least 75% of the shares then entitled to vote for the election of the respective Trustee.

In addition, the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust requires the favorable vote of a majority of the Board followed by the favorable vote of the holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of each affected class or series of the Trust, voting separately as a class or series, to approve, adopt or authorize certain transactions with 5% or greater holders of a class or series of shares and their associates, unless the transaction has been approved by at least 80% of the Trustees, in which case “a majority of the outstanding voting securities” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of the Trust shall be required. These voting requirements are in addition to any regulatory relief required from the SEC with respect to such transaction. For purposes of these provisions, a 5% or greater holder of a class or series of shares (a “Principal Shareholder”) refers to any person who, whether directly or indirectly and whether alone or together with its affiliates and associates, beneficially owns 5% or more of the outstanding shares of all outstanding classes or series of shares of beneficial interest of the Trust. The 5% holder transactions subject to these special approval requirements are:

To convert the Trust to an open-end investment company, the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust requires the favorable vote of a majority of the Board followed by the favorable vote of the holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of each affected class or series of shares of the Trust, voting separately as a class or series, unless such conversion has been approved by at least 80% of the Trustees, in which case “a majority of the outstanding voting securities” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of the Trust shall be required. The foregoing vote would satisfy a separate requirement in the Investment Company Act that any conversion of the Trust to an open-end investment company be approved by the shareholders. If approved in the foregoing manner, we anticipate conversion of the Trust to an open-end investment company might not occur until 90 days after the shareholders’ meeting at which such conversion was approved and would also require at least 10 days’ prior notice to all shareholders. Conversion of the Trust to an open-end investment company would require the redemption of any outstanding preferred shares, which could eliminate or alter the leveraged capital structure of the Trust with respect to the common shares. Following any such conversion, it is also possible that certain of the Trust’s investment policies and strategies would have to be modified to assure sufficient portfolio liquidity, including in order to comply with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act. In the event of conversion, the common shares would cease to be listed on the NYSE or other national securities exchanges or market systems. Shareholders of an open-end investment company may require the company to redeem their shares at any time, except in certain circumstances as authorized by or under the Investment Company Act, at their NAV, less such redemption charge, if any, as might be in effect at the time of a redemption. The Trust expects to pay all such redemption requests in cash, but reserves the right to pay redemption requests in a combination of cash or securities. If such partial payment in securities were made, investors may incur brokerage costs in converting such securities to cash. If the Trust were converted to an open-end fund, it is likely that new shares would be sold at NAV plus a sales load. The Board believes, however, that the closed-end structure is desirable in light of the Trust’s investment objectives and policies. Therefore, you should assume that it is not likely that the Board would vote to convert the Trust to an open-end fund.

For the purposes of calculating “a majority of the outstanding voting securities” under the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, each class and series of the Trust shall vote together as a single class, except to the extent required by the Investment Company Act or the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust with respect to any class or series of shares. If a separate vote is required, the applicable proportion of shares of the class or series, voting as a separate class or series, also will be required.

The Board has determined that provisions with respect to the Board and the shareholder voting requirements described above, which voting requirements are greater than the minimum requirements under Maryland law or the Investment Company Act, are in the best interests of shareholders generally. Reference should be made to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.

The Trust’s Bylaws generally require that advance notice be given to the Trust in the event a shareholder desires to nominate a person for election to the Board or to transact any other business at an annual meeting of shareholders. Notice of any such nomination or business must be delivered to or received at the principal executive offices of the Trust not less than 120 calendar days nor more than 150 calendar days prior to the anniversary date of the prior year’s annual meeting (subject to certain exceptions). Any notice by a shareholder must be accompanied by certain information as provided in the Bylaws. Reference should be made to the Bylaws on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.

In accordance with the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, the Trust intends to dissolve as of the Dissolution Date; provided that the Board may, by a Board Action Vote, without shareholder approval, extend the Dissolution Date: (i) once for up to one year, and (ii) once for up to an additional six months, to a date up to and including eighteen months after the initial Dissolution Date (which date shall then become the Dissolution Date). In determining whether to extend the Dissolution Date, the Board may consider the inability to sell the Trust’s assets in a time frame consistent with dissolution due to lack of market liquidity or other extenuating circumstances. Additionally, the Board may determine that market conditions are such that it is reasonable to believe that, with an

extension, the Trust’s remaining assets will appreciate and generate capital appreciation and income in an amount that, in the aggregate, is meaningful relative to the cost and expense of continuing the operation of the Trust. Each holder of common shares would be paid a pro rata portion of the Trust’s net assets upon dissolution of the Trust.

Beginning with the Wind-Down Period, the Trust may begin liquidating all or a portion of the Trust’s portfolio, and may deviate from its investment policies and may not achieve its investment objectives. During the Wind-Down Period (or in anticipation of an Eligible Tender Offer), the Trust’s portfolio composition may change as more of its portfolio holdings are called or sold and portfolio holdings are disposed of in anticipation of liquidation.

As of a date within twelve months preceding the Dissolution Date, the Board may, by a Board Action Vote, cause the Trust to conduct an Eligible Tender Offer. The Board has established that the Trust must have aggregate net assets at least equal to the Dissolution Threshold immediately following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer to ensure the continued viability of the Trust. In an Eligible Tender Offer, the Trust will offer to purchase all common shares held by each common shareholder; provided that if the payment for properly tendered common shares would result in the Trust having aggregate net assets below the Dissolution Threshold, the Eligible Tender Offer will be canceled and no common shares will be repurchased pursuant to the Eligible Tender Offer. Instead, the Trust will begin (or continue) liquidating its portfolio and proceed to dissolve on or about the Dissolution Date. Regardless of whether the Eligible Tender Offer is completed or canceled, the Advisor will pay all costs and expenses associated with the making of an Eligible Tender Offer, other than brokerage and related transaction costs associated with the disposition of portfolio investments in connection with the Eligible Tender Offer, which will be borne by the Trust and its common shareholders. The Eligible Tender Offer would be made, and common shareholders would be notified thereof, in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act, the Exchange Act and the applicable tender offer rules thereunder (including Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E under the Exchange Act). If the payment for properly tendered common shares would result in the Trust having aggregate net assets greater than or equal to the Dissolution Threshold, all common shares properly tendered and not withdrawn will be purchased by the Trust pursuant to the terms of the Eligible Tender Offer. The Trust’s purchase of tendered common shares pursuant to a tender offer will have tax consequences for tendering common shareholders and may have tax consequences for non-tendering common shareholders. In addition, the Trust would continue to be subject to its obligations with respect to its issued and outstanding borrowings, preferred stock or debt securities, if any. An Eligible Tender Offer may be commenced upon approval of the Board, without a shareholder vote. The Trust is not required to conduct an Eligible Tender Offer. If no Eligible Tender Offer is conducted, the Trust will dissolve on the Dissolution Date (subject to extension as described above), unless the limited term provisions of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust are amended with the vote of shareholders.

Following the completion of an Eligible Tender Offer, the Board may, by a Board Action Vote, eliminate the Dissolution Date without shareholder approval and provide for the Trust’s perpetual existence. In determining whether to eliminate the Dissolution Date, the Board may consider market conditions at such time and all other factors deemed relevant by the Board in consultation with the Advisor, taking into account that the Advisor may have a potential conflict of interest in recommending to the Board that the limited term structure be eliminated and the Trust have a perpetual existence. In making a decision to eliminate the Dissolution Date to provide for the Trust’s perpetual existence, the Board will take such actions with respect to the continued operations of the Trust as it deems to be in the best interests of the Trust. The Trust is not required to conduct additional tender offers following an Eligible Tender Offer and conversion to a perpetual structure. Therefore, remaining common shareholders may not have another opportunity to participate in a tender offer or exchange their common shares for the then-existing NAV per share. There is no guarantee that the Board will eliminate the Dissolution Date following completion of an Eligible Tender Offer so that the Trust will have a perpetual existence.

All common shareholders remaining after a tender offer will be subject to proportionately higher expenses due to the reduction in the Trust’s assets resulting from payment for the tendered common shares. A reduction in assets, and the corresponding increase in the Trust’s expense ratio, could result in lower returns and put the Trust at a disadvantage relative to its peers and potentially cause the Trust’s common shares to trade at a wider discount to NAV than it otherwise would. Such reduction in the Trust’s assets may also result in less investment flexibility, reduced diversification and greater volatility for the Trust, and may have an adverse effect on the Trust’s investment performance. Moreover, the resulting reduction in the number of outstanding common shares could cause the common shares to become more thinly traded or otherwise adversely impact the secondary market trading of such common shares.

The Board may, to the extent it deems appropriate and without shareholder approval, adopt a plan of liquidation at any time preceding the anticipated Dissolution Date, which plan of liquidation may set forth the terms and conditions for implementing the termination of the Trust’s existence, including the commencement of the winding down of its investment operations and the making of one or more liquidating distributions to common shareholders prior to the Dissolution Date.

Upon its dissolution, the Trust will distribute substantially all of its net assets to shareholders, after paying or otherwise providing for all charges, taxes, expenses and liabilities, whether due or accrued or anticipated, of the Trust, as may be determined by the Board. The Trust retains broad flexibility to liquidate its portfolio, wind up its business and make liquidating distributions to common shareholders in a manner and on a schedule it believes will best contribute to the achievement of its investment objectives. Accordingly, as the Trust nears an Eligible Tender Offer or the Dissolution Date, the Advisor may begin liquidating all or a portion of the Trust’s portfolio through opportunistic sales. During this time, the Trust may not achieve its investment objectives, comply with the investment guidelines described in this prospectus or be able to sustain its historical distribution levels. During such period(s), the Trust’s portfolio composition may change as more of its portfolio holdings are called or sold and portfolio holdings are disposed of in anticipation of dissolution or an Eligible Tender Offer. Rather than reinvesting the proceeds of matured, called or sold securities in accordance with the investment program described above, the Trust may invest such proceeds in short term or other lower yielding securities or hold the proceeds in cash, which may adversely affect its performance. The Trust’s distributions during the Wind-Down Period may decrease, and such distributions may include a return of capital. The Trust may distribute the proceeds in one or more liquidating distributions prior to the final dissolution, which may cause fixed expenses to increase when expressed as a percentage of assets under management. It is expected that shareholders will receive cash in any liquidating distribution from the Trust, regardless of their participation in the Trust’s dividend reinvestment plan. Shareholders generally will realize capital gain or loss upon the dissolution of the Trust in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash or other property received by the shareholder (including any property deemed received by reason of its being placed in a liquidating trust) and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares of the Trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As soon as practicable after the Dissolution Date, the Trust will complete the liquidation of its portfolio (to the extent possible and not already liquidated), retire or redeem its leverage facilities, if any (to the extent not already retired or redeemed), distribute all of its liquidated net assets to its common shareholders (to the extent not already distributed) and terminate its existence under Maryland law.

Although it is anticipated that the Trust will have distributed substantially all of its net assets to shareholders as soon as practicable after the Dissolution Date, securities for which no market exists or securities trading at depressed prices, if any, may be placed in a liquidating trust. Securities placed in a liquidating trust may be held for an indefinite period of time, potentially several years or longer, until they can be sold or pay out all of their cash flows. During such time, the shareholders will continue to be exposed to the risks associated with the Trust and the value of their interest in the liquidating trust will fluctuate with the value of the liquidating trust’s remaining assets. To the extent the costs associated with a liquidating trust exceed the value of the remaining securities, the liquidating trust trustees may determine to dispose of the remaining securities in a manner of their choosing. The Trust cannot predict the amount, if any, of securities that will be required to be placed in a liquidating trust or how long it will take to sell or otherwise dispose of such securities.

The Trust is not a so called “target date” or “life cycle” fund whose asset allocation becomes more conservative over time as its target date, often associated with retirement, approaches. In addition, the Trust is not a “target term” fund whose investment objective is to return its original NAV on the Dissolution Date or in an Eligible Tender Offer. The final distribution of net assets per common share upon dissolution or the price per common share in an Eligible Tender Offer may be more than, equal to or less than the initial public offering price per common share.

The Trust is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with no operating history (commonly referred to as a closed-end fund). Closed-end funds differ from open-end funds (which are generally referred to as mutual funds) in that closed-end funds generally list their shares for trading on a stock exchange and do not redeem their shares at the request of the shareholder. This means that if you wish to sell your shares of a closed-end fund you must trade them on the stock exchange like any other stock at the prevailing market price at

that time. In a mutual fund, if the shareholder wishes to sell shares of the fund, the mutual fund will redeem or buy back the shares at NAV. Also, mutual funds generally offer new shares on a continuous basis to new investors and closed-end funds generally do not. The continuous inflows and outflows of assets in a mutual fund can make it difficult to manage the fund’s investments. By comparison, closed-end funds are generally able to stay more fully invested in securities that are consistent with their investment objectives and also have greater flexibility to make certain types of investments and to use certain investment strategies, such as financial leverage and investments in illiquid securities.

Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to their NAV. Because of this possibility and the recognition that any such discount may not be in the interest of shareholders, the Board might consider from time to time engaging in open-market repurchases, tender offers for shares or other programs intended to reduce the discount. We cannot guarantee or assure, however, that the Board will decide to engage in any of these actions. Nor is there any guarantee or assurance that such actions, if undertaken, would result in the shares trading at a price equal or close to the NAV. See “Repurchase of Common Shares” below and “Repurchase of Common Shares” in the SAI. The Board might also consider converting the Trust to an open-end mutual fund, which would also require a vote of the shareholders of the Trust.

Shares of closed-end investment companies often trade at a discount to their NAVs and the Trust’s common shares may also trade at a discount to their NAV, although it is possible that they may trade at a premium above NAV. The market price of the Trust’s common shares will be determined by such factors as relative demand for and supply of such common shares in the market, the Trust’s NAV, general market and economic conditions and other factors beyond the control of the Trust. See “Net Asset Value” and “Description of Shares—Common Shares.” Although the Trust’s common shareholders will not have the right to redeem their common shares, the Trust may take action to repurchase common shares in the open market or make tender offers for its common shares. This may have the effect of reducing any market discount from NAV.

There is no assurance that, if action is undertaken to repurchase or tender for common shares, such action will result in the common shares trading at a price which approximates their NAV. Although share repurchases and tender offers could have a favorable effect on the market price of the Trust’s common shares, you should be aware that the acquisition of common shares by the Trust will decrease the capital of the Trust and, therefore, may have the effect of increasing the Trust’s expense ratio and decreasing the asset coverage with respect to any borrowings or preferred shares outstanding. Any share repurchases or tender offers will be made in accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the Investment Company Act and the principal stock exchange on which the common shares are traded. For additional information, see “Repurchase of Common Shares” in the SAI.

The following discussion is a brief summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Trust and the purchase, ownership and disposition of the Trust’s common shares. A more detailed discussion of the tax rules applicable to the Trust and its common shareholders can be found in the SAI that is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Except as otherwise noted, this discussion assumes you are a taxable U.S. holder (as defined below) and that you hold your common shares as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes (generally, assets held for investment). This discussion is based upon current provisions of the Code, the regulations promulgated thereunder and judicial and administrative authorities, all of which are subject to change or differing interpretations by the courts or the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), possibly with retroactive effect. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. federal tax concerns affecting the Trust and its common shareholders. The discussion set forth herein does not constitute tax advice and potential investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers to determine the specific U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences to them of investing in the Trust.

method of accounting for its securities, U.S. holder (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, investor with “applicable financial statements” within the meaning of Section 451(b) of the Code, or non-U.S. investor. Furthermore, this discussion does not reflect possible application of the alternative minimum tax.

A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

The Trust has elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify as a RIC, the Trust must, among other things, satisfy certain requirements relating to the sources of its income, diversification of its assets, and distribution of its income to its shareholders. First, the Trust must derive at least 90% of its annual gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined in the Code) (the “90% gross income test”). Second, the Trust must diversify its holdings so that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the value of its total assets consists of cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Trust’s total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. Government securities and securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, any two or more issuers controlled by the Trust and engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or any one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships.”

As long as the Trust qualifies as a RIC, the Trust will generally not be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on income and gains that it distributes each taxable year to its shareholders, provided that in such taxable year it distributes at least 90% of the sum of (i) its net tax-exempt interest income, if any, and (ii) its “investment company taxable income” (which includes, among other items, dividends, taxable interest, taxable original issue discount and market discount income, income from securities lending, net short-term capital gain in excess of net long-term capital loss, and any other taxable income other than “net capital gain” (as defined below) and is reduced by deductible expenses) determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid. The Trust may retain for investment its net capital gain (which consists of the excess of its net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). However, if the Trust retains any net capital gain or any investment company taxable income, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained.

on which it paid U.S. federal income tax. While the Trust intends to distribute any income and capital gain in the manner necessary to minimize imposition of the 4% nondeductible excise tax, there can be no assurance that sufficient amounts of the Trust’s taxable income and capital gain will be distributed to entirely avoid the imposition of the excise tax. In that event, the Trust will be liable for the excise tax only on the amount by which it does not meet the foregoing distribution requirement.

If in any taxable year the Trust should fail to qualify under Subchapter M of the Code for tax treatment as a RIC, the Trust would incur a regular corporate U.S. federal income tax upon all of its taxable income for that year, and all distributions to its shareholders (including distributions of net capital gain) would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of the Trust’s earnings and profits. Provided that certain holding period and other requirements were met, such dividends would be eligible (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. In addition, to qualify again to be taxed as a RIC in a subsequent year, the Trust would be required to distribute to shareholders its earnings and profits attributable to non-RIC years. In addition, if the Trust failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, then, in order to qualify as a RIC in a subsequent year, the Trust would be required to elect to recognize and pay tax on any net built-in gain (the excess of aggregate gain, including items of income, over aggregate loss that would have been realized if the Trust had been liquidated) or, alternatively, be subject to taxation on such built-in gain recognized for a period of five years.

The remainder of this discussion assumes that the Trust qualifies for taxation as a RIC.

The Trust’s Investments. Certain of the Trust’s investment practices are subject to special and complex U.S. federal income tax provisions (including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale, short sale and other rules) that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gains or qualified dividend income into higher taxed short-term capital gains or ordinary income, (iii) convert ordinary loss or a deduction into capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (iv) cause the Trust to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur, (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions and (vii) produce income that will not be “qualified” income for purposes of the 90% annual gross income requirement described above. These U.S. federal income tax provisions could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to common shareholders. The Trust intends to monitor its transactions and may make certain tax elections and may be required to dispose of securities to mitigate the effect of these provisions and prevent disqualification of the Trust as a RIC. Additionally, the Trust may be required to limit its activities in derivative instruments in order to enable it to maintain its RIC status.

The Trust may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade securities. Investments in these types of securities may present special tax issues for the Trust. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Trust may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether modifications or exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues could affect the Trust’s ability to distribute sufficient income to preserve its status as a RIC or to avoid the imposition of U.S. federal income or excise tax.

Certain debt securities acquired by the Trust may be treated as debt securities that were originally issued at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount is treated as interest income and is included in taxable income (and required to be distributed by the Trust in order to qualify as a RIC and avoid U.S. federal income tax or the 4% excise tax on undistributed income) over the term of the security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures.

principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on the debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. If the Trust ultimately collects less on the debt instrument than its purchase price plus the market discount previously included in income, the Trust may not be able to benefit from any offsetting loss deductions.

The Trust may invest in preferred securities or other securities the U.S. federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the IRS. To the extent the tax treatment of such securities or the income from such securities differs from the tax treatment expected by the Trust, it could affect the timing or character of income recognized by the Trust, potentially requiring the Trust to purchase or sell securities, or otherwise change its portfolio, in order to comply with the tax rules applicable to RICs under the Code.

Gain or loss on the sale of securities by the Trust will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if the securities have been held by the Trust for more than one year. Gain or loss on the sale of securities held for one year or less will be short-term capital gain or loss.

Because the Trust may invest in foreign securities, its income from such securities may be subject to non-U.S. taxes. If more than 50% of the Trust’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Trust may elect for U.S. federal income tax purposes to treat foreign income taxes paid by it as paid by its shareholders. The Trust may qualify for and make this election in some, but not necessarily all, of its taxable years. If the Trust were to make such an election, shareholders would be required to take into account an amount equal to their pro rata portions of such foreign taxes in computing their taxable income and then treat an amount equal to those foreign taxes as a U.S. federal income tax deduction or as a foreign tax credit against their U.S. federal income tax liability. A taxpayer’s ability to use a foreign tax deduction or credit is subject to limitations under the Code. Shortly after any year for which it makes such an election, the Trust will report to its shareholder the amount per share of such foreign income tax that must be included in each shareholder’s gross income and the amount that may be available for the deduction or credit.

Foreign currency gain or loss on foreign currency exchange contracts, non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities contracts, and non-U.S. dollar-denominated futures contracts, options and forward contracts that are not section 1256 contracts (as defined below) generally will be treated as ordinary income and loss.

Income from options on individual securities written by the Trust will not be recognized by the Trust for tax purposes until an option is exercised, lapses or is subject to a “closing transaction” (as defined by applicable regulations) pursuant to which the Trust’s obligations with respect to the option are otherwise terminated. If the option lapses without exercise, the premiums received by the Trust from the writing of such options will generally be characterized as short-term capital gain. If the Trust enters into a closing transaction, the difference between the premiums received and the amount paid by the Trust to close out its position will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. If an option written by the Trust is exercised, thereby requiring the Trust to sell the underlying security, the premium will increase the amount realized upon the sale of the security, and the character of any gain on such sale of the underlying security as short-term or long-term capital gain will depend on the holding period of the Trust in the underlying security. Because the Trust will not have control over the exercise of the options it writes, such exercises or other required sales of the underlying securities may cause the Trust to realize gains or losses at inopportune times.

Index options that qualify as “section 1256 contracts” will generally be “marked-to-market” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Trust will generally recognize gain or loss on the last day of each taxable year equal to the difference between the value of the option on that date and the adjusted basis of the option. The adjusted basis of the option will consequently be increased by such gain or decreased by such loss. Any gain or loss with respect to options on indices and sectors that qualify as “section 1256 contracts” will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 40% of such gain or loss and long-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 60% of such gain or loss. Because the mark-to-market rules may cause the Trust to recognize gain in advance of the receipt of cash, the Trust may be required to dispose of investments in order to meet its distribution requirements. “Mark-to-market” losses may be suspended or otherwise limited if such losses are part of a straddle or similar transaction.

The Trust will either distribute or retain for reinvestment all or part of its net capital gain. If any such gain is retained, the Trust will be subject to a corporate income tax on such retained amount. In that event, the Trust expects to report the retained amount as undistributed capital gain in a notice to its common shareholders, each of whom, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes as long-term capital gain its share of such undistributed amounts, (ii) will be entitled to credit its proportionate share of the tax paid by the Trust against its U.S. federal income tax liability and to claim refunds to the extent that the credit exceeds such liability and (iii) will increase its basis in its common shares by the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s income less the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii).

Distributions paid to you by the Trust from its net capital gain, if any, that the Trust properly reports as capital gain dividends (“capital gain dividends”) are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held your common shares. All other dividends paid to you by the Trust (including dividends from net short-term capital gains or tax-exempt interest, if any) from its current or accumulated earnings and profits (“ordinary income dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income. Provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met, ordinary income dividends (if properly reported by the Trust) may qualify (i) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders to the extent that the Trust’s income consists of dividend income from U.S. corporations, and (ii) in the case of individual shareholders, as “qualified dividend income” eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gains rates to the extent that the Trust receives qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations (e.g., generally, foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a qualifying comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or whose stock with respect to which such dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). There can be no assurance as to what portion, if any, of the Trust’s distributions will constitute qualified dividend income or be eligible for the dividends received deduction.

Any distributions you receive that are in excess of the Trust’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of your adjusted tax basis in your common shares, and thereafter as capital gain from the sale of common shares. The amount of any Trust distribution that is treated as a return of capital will reduce your adjusted tax basis in your common shares, thereby increasing your potential gain or reducing your potential loss on any subsequent sale or other disposition of your common shares.

Common shareholders may be entitled to offset their capital gain dividends with capital losses. The Code contains a number of statutory provisions affecting when capital losses may be offset against capital gain, and limiting the use of losses from certain investments and activities. Accordingly, common shareholders that have capital losses are urged to consult their tax advisers.

Dividends and other taxable distributions are taxable to you even though they are reinvested in additional common shares of the Trust. Dividends and other distributions paid by the Trust are generally treated under the Code as received by you at the time the dividend or distribution is made. If, however, the Trust pays you a dividend in January that was declared in the previous October, November or December to common shareholders of record on a specified date in one of such months, then such dividend will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as being paid by the Trust and received by you on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared. In addition, certain other distributions made after the close of the Trust’s taxable year may be “spilled back” and treated as paid by the Trust (except for purposes of the 4% nondeductible excise tax) during such taxable year. In such case, you will be treated as having received such dividends in the taxable year in which the distributions were actually made.

The price of common shares purchased at any time may reflect the amount of a forthcoming distribution. Those purchasing common shares just prior to the record date of a distribution will receive a distribution which will be taxable to them even though it represents, economically, a return of invested capital.

The Trust will send you information after the end of each year setting forth the amount and tax status of any distributions paid to you by the Trust.

The sale or other disposition of common shares will generally result in capital gain or loss to you and will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held such common shares for more than one year at the time of sale. Any loss upon the sale or other disposition of common shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain dividend) by you with respect to such common shares. Any loss you recognize on a sale or other disposition of common shares will be disallowed if you acquire other common shares (whether through the automatic reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after your sale or exchange of the common shares. In such case, your tax basis in the common shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

If, as described in the section “Limited Term and Eligible Tender Offer” above, the Trust conducts a tender offer for its shares, shareholders who offer, and are able to sell all of the shares they hold or are deemed to hold in response to such tender offer generally will be treated as having sold their shares and generally will recognize a capital gain or loss. In the case of shareholders who tender or are able to sell fewer than all of their shares, it is possible that any amounts that the shareholder receives in such repurchase will be taxable as a dividend to such shareholder. Shares actually owned, as well as shares constructively owned under Section 318 of the Code, will generally be taken into account for purposes of the foregoing rules. In addition, there is a risk that shareholders who do not tender any of their shares for repurchase, or whose percentage interest in the Trust otherwise increases as a result of the tender offer, will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as having received a taxable dividend distribution as a result of their proportionate increase in the ownership of the Trust. The Trust’s use of cash to repurchase shares could adversely affect its ability to satisfy the distribution requirements for treatment as a regulated investment company. Different tax consequences may apply to tendering and non-tendering common shareholders in connection with a tender offer, and these consequences will be disclosed in the related offering documents.

If the Trust liquidates, shareholders generally will realize capital gain or loss upon such liquidation in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash or other property received by the shareholder (including any property deemed received by reason of its being placed in a liquidating trust) and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in its common shares. Any such gain or loss will be long-term if the shareholder is treated as having a holding period in the Trust shares of greater than one year, and otherwise will be short-term.

Current U.S. federal income tax law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gain of corporations at the rates applicable to ordinary income. For non-corporate taxpayers, short-term capital gain is currently taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income while long-term capital gain generally is taxed at a reduced maximum rate. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations under the Code.

Certain U.S. holders who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes dividends received from the Trust and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of the Trust’s common shares.

A common shareholder that is a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation (a “foreign investor”) generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or possibly a lower rate provided by an applicable tax treaty) on ordinary income dividends (except as discussed below). In general, U.S. federal withholding tax and U.S. federal income tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a foreign investor in respect of any distribution of net capital gain (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain dividend) or upon the sale or other disposition of common shares of the Trust. Different tax consequences may result if the foreign investor is engaged in a trade or business in the United States or, in the case of an individual, is present in the United States for 183 days or more during a taxable year and certain other conditions are met. Foreign investors should consult their tax advisers regarding the tax consequences of investing in the Trust’s common shares.

Ordinary income dividends properly reported by a RIC are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the RIC’s “qualified net interest income” (generally, its U.S.-source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the RIC is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) are paid in respect of the RIC’s “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of the RIC’s net short-term capital gain over its long-term capital loss for such taxable year). Depending on its circumstances, the Trust may report all,

some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains, and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a foreign investor needs to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or substitute Form). In the case of common shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may have withheld even if the Trust reported the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Foreign investors should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts. There can be no assurance as to what portion of the Trust’s distributions would qualify for favorable treatment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gains.

In addition, withholding at a rate of 30% will apply to dividends paid in respect of common shares of the Trust held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless such institution enters into an agreement with the Treasury to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to shares in, and accounts maintained by, the institution to the extent such shares or accounts are held by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments. Accordingly, the entity through which common shares of the Trust are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends paid in respect of common shares of the Trust held by an investor that is a non-financial foreign entity that does not qualify under certain exemptions will be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (i) certifies that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (ii) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which the Trust or applicable withholding agent will in turn provide to the Secretary of the Treasury. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, or future Treasury regulations or other guidance, may modify these requirements. The Trust will not pay any additional amounts to common shareholders in respect of any amounts withheld. Foreign investors are encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding the possible implications of these rules on their investment in the Trust’s common shares.

U.S. federal backup withholding tax may be required on dividends, distributions and sale proceeds payable to certain non-exempt common shareholders who fail to supply their correct taxpayer identification number (in the case of individuals, generally, their social security number) or to make required certifications, or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be refunded or credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that you timely furnish the required information to the IRS.

Ordinary income dividends, capital gain dividends, and gain from the sale or other disposition of common shares of the Trust also may be subject to state, local, and/or foreign taxes. Common shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding specific questions about U.S. federal, state, local or foreign tax consequences to them of investing in the Trust.

The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of certain provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations currently in effect as they directly govern the taxation of the Trust and its common shareholders. These provisions are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive. A more detailed discussion of the tax rules applicable to the Trust and its common shareholders can be found in the SAI that is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Common shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding specific questions as to U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income or other taxes.

Please refer to the SAI for more detailed information. You are urged to consult your tax adviser.

Under the terms and subject to the conditions in an underwriting agreement, dated the date of this prospectus, the Underwriters named below, for whom [●],[●], and [●] are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), have severally agreed to purchase, and the Trust has agreed to sell to them, the number of the Trust’s common shares indicated below.

The Underwriters are offering the common shares subject to their acceptance of the common shares from the Trust and subject to prior sale. The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the several Underwriters to pay for and accept delivery of the common shares offered by this prospectus are subject to the approval of certain legal matters by their counsel and to certain other conditions. The Underwriters are obligated to take and pay for all of the common shares offered by this prospectus if any such shares are taken. However, the Underwriters are not required to take or pay for the common shares covered by the Underwriters’ over-allotment option described below.

The Trust has granted to the Underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to [●] additional common shares at the public offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus. The Underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with the offering of the common shares offered by this prospectus. To the extent the option is exercised, each Underwriter will become obligated, subject to certain conditions, to purchase approximately the same percentage of the additional common shares as the number listed next to the Underwriter’s name in the preceding table bears to the total number of common shares listed next to the names of all Underwriters in the preceding table.

The following table shows the per share and total public offering price, underwriting discounts and commissions (sales load) and proceeds to the Trust. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the Underwriters’ option to purchase up to an additional [●] common shares.

The compensation and fees paid to the Underwriters described below under “Additional Compensation Paid by the Advisor” are not reimbursable to the Advisor by the Trust and are therefore not reflected in the table above.

The Advisor (and not the Trust) will pay all organizational expenses of the Trust and all offering costs associated with this offering. The Trust is not obligated to repay any such organizational expenses or offering costs paid by the Advisor.

The Underwriters have informed the Trust that they do not intend sales to discretionary accounts to exceed five percent of the total number of common shares offered by them.

In order to meet requirements for listing the common shares on the NYSE, the Underwriters have undertaken to sell lots of [●] or more shares to a minimum of [●] beneficial owners in the United States. The minimum investment requirement is [●] common shares ($[●]).

The Trust’s common shares are expected to be listed on the NYSE, subject to notice of issuance, under the symbol “[●]”.

The Trust has agreed that, without the prior written consent of the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period ending 180 days after the date of this prospectus:

whether any such transaction described above is to be settled by delivery of common shares or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.

The restrictions described in the immediately preceding paragraph do not apply to:

The Representatives, in their sole discretion, may release the common shares and other securities subject to the lock-up agreement described above in whole or in part at any time with or without notice.

In order to facilitate the offering of the common shares, the Underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the common shares. Specifically, the Underwriters may sell more common shares than they are obligated to purchase under the underwriting agreement, creating a short position. A short sale is covered if the short position is no greater than the number of common shares available for purchase by the Underwriters under the over-allotment option. The Underwriters can close out a covered short sale by exercising the over-allotment option or purchasing common shares in the open market. In determining the source of common shares to close out a covered short sale, the Underwriters will consider, among other things, the open market price of the common shares compared to the price available under the over-allotment option. The Underwriters may also sell common shares in excess of the over-allotment option, creating a naked short position. The Underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing common shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the Underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. As an additional means of facilitating the offering, the Underwriters may bid for, and purchase, common shares in the open market to stabilize the price of the common shares. Finally, the underwriting syndicate may also reclaim selling concessions allowed to an Underwriter or a dealer for distributing the common shares in the offering. Any of these activities may raise or maintain the market price of the common shares above independent market levels or prevent or retard a decline in the market price of the common shares. The Underwriters are not required to engage in these activities, and may end any of these activities at any time.

The Trust, the Advisor and the Underwriters have agreed to indemnify each other against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on websites maintained by one or more Underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering. The Representatives may agree to allocate a number of common shares to Underwriters for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the Representatives to Underwriters that may make Internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the common shares. The initial public offering price for the common shares was determined by negotiation among the Trust, the Advisor and the Representatives. There can be no assurance, however, that the price at which the common shares trade after this offering will not be lower than the price at which they are sold by the Underwriters or that an active trading market in the common shares will develop and continue after this offering.

Prior to the public offering of the common shares, [●], an affiliate of the Advisor, purchased common shares from the Trust in an amount satisfying the net worth requirements of Section 14(a) of the Investment Company Act, which requires the Trust to have a net worth of at least $100,000 prior to making a public offering. As of the date of this prospectus, [●] owned 100% of the Trust’s outstanding common shares and therefore may be deemed to control the Trust until such time as it owns less than 25% of the Trust’s outstanding common shares, which is expected to occur upon the closing of this offering.

The Trust anticipates that the Representatives and certain other Underwriters may from time to time act as brokers and dealers in connection with the execution of its portfolio transactions after they have ceased to be Underwriters and, subject to certain restrictions, may act as such brokers while they are Underwriters.

The Underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial lending, investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, principal investment, hedging, derivatives, financing and brokerage activities. Certain of the Underwriters or their respective affiliates from time to time have provided in the past, and may provide in the future, securities trading, commercial lending, investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, principal investment, hedging, derivatives, financing and brokerage services to the Trust, certain of its executive officers and affiliates and the Advisor and its affiliates in the ordinary course of business, for which they have received, and may receive, customary fees and expenses.

No action has been taken in any jurisdiction (except in the United States) that would permit a public offering of the common shares, or the possession, circulation or distribution of this prospectus or any other material relating to the Trust or the common shares where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, the common shares may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, and neither this prospectus nor any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the common shares may be distributed or published, in or from any country or jurisdiction except in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of any such country or jurisdiction.

The principal business address of [●] is [●]. The principal business address of [●] is [●]. The principal business address of [●] is [●].

The Advisor (and not the Trust) has agreed to pay each of [●],[●] and [●] from its own assets, an upfront structuring fee in the amount of $[●], $[●] and $[●], respectively, for advice relating to the structure, design and organization of the Trust as well as services related to the sale and distribution of the common shares. If the over-allotment option is not exercised, the upfront structuring fee paid to each of [●], [●] and [●] will not exceed [●]%, [●]% and [●]%, respectively, of the total public offering price of the common shares. These services provided by these Underwriters to the Advisor are unrelated to the Advisor’s function of advising the Trust as to its investments in securities or use of investment strategies and investment techniques.

The Advisor (and not the Trust) has agreed to pay each of [●], [●] and [●], from its own assets, an upfront fee in the amount of $[●], $[●] and $[●], respectively, for services related to the distribution of the common shares. If the over-allotment option is not exercised, the upfront fee paid to each of [●], [●]and [●]will not exceed [●]%, [●]% and [●]%, respectively, of the total public offering price of the common shares. These services provided by these Underwriters to the Advisor are unrelated to the Advisor’s function of advising the Trust as to its investments in securities or use of investment strategies and investment techniques.

The amount of these structuring and other fees are calculated based on the total respective sales of common shares by these Underwriters, including those common shares included in the Underwriters’ over-allotment option, and will be paid regardless of whether some or all of the over-allotment option is exercised.

In addition, the Advisor (and not the Trust) has agreed to pay from its own assets, compensation of $[●] per common share to the Underwriters in connection with the offering, which aggregate amount will not exceed [●]% of the total public offering price of the common shares.

The Advisor and certain of its affiliates (and not the Trust) expect to pay compensation to certain registered representatives of BlackRock Investments, LLC (a registered broker-dealer and an affiliate of the Advisor) that participate in the marketing of the Trust’s common shares in an aggregate amount that will not exceed [●]% of the total public offering price of the common shares. The Advisor and certain of its affiliates (and not the Trust) pay this compensation in consideration of marketing activities conducted as part of these registered representatives’ regular duties, which activities may include providing information and education to partner firms about the Trust, discussing economic trends and market movements and providing assistance with marketing materials.

Total underwriting compensation determined in accordance with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) rules is summarized as follows. The Advisor has agreed to reimburse the Underwriters for the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with the review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the common shares in an amount not to exceed $[●] in the aggregate, which amount will not exceed [●]% of the total public offering price of the common shares if the over-allotment option is not exercised. The sum total of all compensation to the Underwriters and registered representatives of BlackRock Investments, LLC in connection with this public offering of the common shares, including expense reimbursement and all forms of structuring and other fee payments to the Underwriters, will not exceed [●]% of the total public offering price of the common shares.

The custodian of the assets of the Trust is [●], whose principal business address is [●]. The custodian will be responsible for, among other things, receipt of and disbursement of funds from the Trust’s accounts, establishment of segregated accounts as necessary, and transfer, exchange and delivery of Trust portfolio securities.

[●], whose principal business address is [●], will serve as the Trust’s transfer agent with respect to the common shares.

[●] will provide certain administration and accounting services to the Trust pursuant to an Administration and Fund Accounting Services Agreement (the “Administration Agreement”). Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, [●] will provide the Trust with, among other things, customary fund accounting services, including computing the Trust’s NAV and maintaining books, records and other documents relating to the Trust’s financial and portfolio transactions, and customary fund administration services, including assisting the Trust with regulatory filings, tax compliance and other oversight activities. For these and other services it provides to the Trust, [●] is paid a monthly fee from the Trust at an annual rate ranging from [●]% to [●]% of the Trust’s Managed Assets, along with an annual fixed fee ranging from $[●] to $[●] for the services it provides to the Trust.

[●], whose principal business address is [●], is the independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust and is expected to render an opinion annually on the financial statements of the Trust.

Certain legal matters in connection with the common shares will be passed upon for the Trust by Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, New York, New York. [●], advised the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the common shares. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and [●] may rely as to certain matters of Maryland law on the opinion of [●].

The Trust is committed to maintaining the privacy of shareholders and to safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information the Trust collects, how we protect that information, and why in certain cases we may share such information with select other parties.

The Trust does not receive any non-public personal information relating to its shareholders who purchase shares through their broker-dealers. In the case of shareholders who are record holders of the Trust, the Trust receives personal non-public information on account applications or other forms. With respect to these shareholders, the Trust also has access to specific information regarding their transactions in the Trust.

The Trust does not disclose any non-public personal information about its shareholders or former shareholders to anyone, except as permitted by law or as is necessary in order to service our shareholders’ accounts (for example, to a transfer agent).

The Trust restricts access to non-public personal information about its shareholders to BlackRock employees with a legitimate business need for the information. The Trust maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards designed to protect the non-public personal information of our shareholders.

Until [●], 2019 ([●] days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade the common shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This delivery requirement is in addition to the dealers’ obligations to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

The information in this preliminary statement of additional information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary statement of additional information is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust II (the “Trust”) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with no operating history. This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) relating to common shares does not constitute a prospectus, but should be read in conjunction with the prospectus relating thereto dated [●], 2019. This SAI, which is not a prospectus, does not include all information that a prospective investor should consider before purchasing common shares, and investors should obtain and read the prospectus prior to purchasing such shares. A copy of the prospectus may be obtained without charge by calling (800) 882-0052. You may also obtain a copy of the prospectus on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) website (http://www.sec.gov). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this SAI have the meanings ascribed to them in the prospectus.

References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no-action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

Pending investment in securities that meet the Trust’s investment objectives and policies, the net proceeds of this offering will be invested in short-term debt securities of the type described below under “Investment Policies and Techniques—Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Debt Securities.” If necessary to invest fully the net proceeds of this offering immediately, the Trust may also purchase, as temporary investments, securities of other open- or closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in securities of the type in which the Trust may invest directly. We currently anticipate that the Trust will be able to invest all of the net proceeds in accordance with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies within approximately three months after the completion of this offering.

The Trust has adopted restrictions and policies relating to the investment of the Trust’s assets and its activities. Certain of the restrictions are fundamental policies of the Trust and may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Trust’s outstanding voting securities (which for this purpose and under the Investment Company Act means the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares), including class approval by a majority of the Trust’s outstanding preferred shares, if any (which for this purpose and under the Investment Company Act means the lesser of (i) 67% of the preferred shares, as a single class, represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the Trust’s outstanding preferred shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding preferred shares).

Fundamental Investment Restrictions. Under these fundamental investment restrictions, the Trust may not:

Notations Regarding the Trust’s Fundamental Investment Restrictions. The following notations are not considered to be part of the Trust’s fundamental investment restrictions and are subject to change without shareholder approval.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to concentration set forth in (1) above, the Investment Company Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund’s total assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could

change in the future. The policy in (1) above will be interpreted to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities; tax exempt securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country. Finance companies will be considered to be in the industries of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of the parents. Each foreign government will be considered to be a member of a separate industry. With respect to the Trust’s industry classifications, the Trust currently utilizes any one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating group indexes, and/or as defined by the Advisor. The policy also will be interpreted to give broad authority to the Trust as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (2) above, the Investment Company Act, including the rules and regulations thereunder, generally prohibits the Trust from borrowing money (other than certain temporary borrowings) unless immediately after the borrowing the Trust has satisfied the asset coverage test with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness prescribed by the Investment Company Act; that is, the value of the Trust’s total assets less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities (for these purposes, “total net assets”) is at least 300% of the senior securities representing indebtedness (effectively limiting the use of leverage through senior securities representing indebtedness to 331/3% of the Trust’s total net assets, including assets attributable to such leverage). Certain trading practices and investments, such as reverse repurchase agreements, may be considered to be borrowings or involve leverage and thus are subject to the Investment Company Act restrictions. In accordance with SEC staff guidance and interpretations, when the Trust engages in such transactions, the Trust, instead of maintaining asset coverage of at least 300%, may segregate or earmark liquid assets, or enter into an offsetting position, in an amount at least equal to the Trust’s exposure, on a mark-to-market basis, to the transaction (as calculated pursuant to requirements of the SEC). The policy in (2) above will be interpreted to permit the Trust to engage in trading practices and investments that may be considered to be borrowing or to involve leverage to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and to permit the Trust to segregate or earmark liquid assets or enter into offsetting positions in accordance with the Investment Company Act. Under the Investment Company Act, the Trust may not issue senior securities representing stock unless immediately after such issuance the value of the Trust’s total net assets is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the Trust’s outstanding senior securities representing stock, plus the aggregate amount of any senior securities representing indebtedness (effectively limiting the use of leverage through senior securities to 50% of the Trust’s total net assets). In addition, the Trust is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on common shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the asset coverage tests described above are satisfied after giving effect to such dividend or distribution. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to underwriting set forth in (5) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Trust from engaging in the underwriting business or from underwriting the securities of other issuers; in fact, in the case of diversified funds, the Investment Company Act permits a fund to have underwriting commitments of up to 25% of its assets under certain circumstances. Those circumstances currently are that the amount of the fund’s underwriting commitments, when added to the value of the fund’s investments in issuers where the fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of those issuers, cannot exceed the 25% cap. A fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act. Although it is not believed that the application of the Securities Act provisions described above would cause the Trust to be engaged in the business of underwriting, the policy in (5) above will be interpreted not to prevent the Trust from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether the Trust may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act or is otherwise engaged in the underwriting business to the extent permitted by applicable law.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to lending set forth in (7) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Trust from making loans (including lending its securities); however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets (including lending its securities), except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward currency and futures transactions and other derivative instruments (as applicable), as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans.

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions. Under its non-fundamental investment restrictions, which may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval, the Trust may not make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, except to the extent permitted by the Trust’s prospectus and SAI, as amended from time to time, and applicable law.

Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations under the Trust’s fundamental or non-fundamental investment restrictions apply only at the time that a transaction is undertaken. Any change in the percentage of the Trust’s assets invested in certain securities or other instruments resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in the Trust’s total assets will not require the Trust to dispose of an investment until the Advisor determines that it is practicable to sell or close out the investment without undue market or tax consequences.

The following information supplements the discussion of the Trust’s investment objectives, policies and techniques that are described in the prospectus. The Trust may invest in the following instruments and use the following investment techniques, subject to any limitations set forth in the prospectus. There is no guarantee the Trust will buy all of the types of securities or use all of the investment techniques that are described herein.

The Trust may invest in investments that lack an established secondary trading market or otherwise are considered illiquid. Liquidity of an investment relates to the ability to dispose easily of the investment and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the investment, which may be less than would be obtained for a comparable more liquid investment. Illiquid investments may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments. Investment of the Trust’s assets in illiquid investments may restrict the ability of the Trust to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and for a fair price as well as its ability to take advantage of market opportunities. The risks associated with illiquidity will be particularly acute where a Trust’s operations require cash, such as when the Trust pays dividends, and could result in the Trust borrowing to meet short-term cash requirements or incurring capital losses on the sale of illiquid investments.

The Trust may invest in securities that are not registered under the Securities Act (“restricted securities”). Restricted securities may be sold in private placement transactions between issuers and their purchasers and may be neither listed on an exchange nor traded in other established markets. In many cases, privately placed securities may not be freely transferable under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction or due to contractual restrictions on resale. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately placed securities may be less liquid and more difficult to value than publicly traded securities. To the extent that privately placed securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from the sales, due to illiquidity, could be less than those originally paid by the Trust or less than their fair market value. In addition, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that may be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. If any privately placed securities held by the Trust are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Trust may be required to bear the expenses of registration. Where registration is required for restricted securities, a considerable time period may elapse between the time the Trust decides to sell the security and the time it is actually permitted to sell the security under an effective registration statement. If during such period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Trust might obtain less favorable pricing terms than when it decided to sell the security. Transactions in restricted securities may entail other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in unrestricted securities. Certain of the Trust’s investments in private placements may consist of direct investments and may include investments in smaller, less seasoned issuers, which may involve greater risks. These issuers may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group. In making investments in such securities, the Trust may obtain access to material nonpublic information, which may restrict the Trust’s ability to conduct portfolio transactions in such securities.

The Trust may participate in rights offerings and may purchase warrants, which are privileges issued by corporations enabling the owners to subscribe to and purchase a specified number of shares of the corporation at a specified price during a specified period of time. Subscription rights normally have a short life span to expiration. The purchase of rights or warrants involves the risk that the Trust could lose the purchase value of a right or warrant if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the rights’ and warrants’ expiration. Also, the purchase of rights and/or warrants involves the risk that the effective price paid for the right and/or warrant added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security. Buying a warrant does not make the Trust a shareholder of the underlying stock. The warrant holder has no voting or dividend rights with respect to the underlying stock. A warrant does not carry any right to assets of the issuer, and for this reason investments in warrants may be more speculative than other equity-based investments.

Investments in sovereign debt involve special risks. Foreign governmental issuers of debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or pay interest when due. In the event of default, there may be limited or no legal recourse in that, generally, remedies for defaults must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party. Political conditions, especially a sovereign entity’s willingness to meet the terms of its debt obligations, are of considerable significance. The ability of a foreign sovereign issuer, especially an emerging market country, to make timely payments on its debt obligations will also be strongly influenced by the sovereign issuer’s balance of payments, including export performance, its access to international credit facilities and investments, fluctuations of interest rates and the extent of its foreign reserves. The cost of servicing external debt will also generally be adversely affected by rising international interest rates, as many external debt obligations bear interest at rates which are adjusted based upon international interest rates. Also, there can be no assurances that the holders of commercial bank loans to the same sovereign entity may not contest payments to the holders of sovereign debt in the event of default under commercial bank loan agreements. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding with respect to sovereign debt on which a sovereign has defaulted and the Trust may be unable to collect all or any part of its investment in a particular issue. Foreign investment in certain sovereign debt is restricted or controlled to varying degrees, including requiring governmental approval for the repatriation of income, capital or proceeds of sales by foreign investors. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude foreign investment in certain sovereign debt and increase the costs and expenses of the Trust.

Zero-coupon bonds pay interest only at maturity rather than at intervals during the life of the security. Like zero-coupon bonds, “step up” bonds pay no interest initially but eventually begin to pay a coupon rate prior to maturity, which rate may increase at stated intervals during the life of the security. Payment-in-kind securities (“PIKs”) are debt obligations that pay “interest” in the form of other debt obligations, instead of in cash. Each of these instruments is normally issued and traded at a deep discount from face value. Zero-coupon bonds, step-ups and PIKs allow an issuer to avoid or delay the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments and, as a result, may involve greater credit risk than bonds that pay interest currently or in cash. The Trust would be required to distribute the income on these instruments as it accrues, even though the Trust will not receive the income on a current basis or in cash. Thus, the Trust may have to sell other investments, including when it may not be advisable to do so, to make income distributions to its shareholders.

Bank obligations may include certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and fixed time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties, which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there is no market for such deposits.

Obligations of foreign banks involve somewhat different investment risks than those affecting obligations of U.S. banks, including the possibilities that their liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic developments, that their obligations may be less marketable than comparable obligations of U.S. banks, that a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding taxes on interest income payable on those obligations, that foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized, that foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls may be adopted which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on those obligations and that the selection of those obligations may be more difficult because there may be less publicly available information concerning foreign banks or the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to U.S. banks. Foreign banks are not generally subject to examination by any U.S. Government agency or instrumentality.

MBS. Mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) include structured debt obligations collateralized by pools of commercial (“CMBS”) or residential (“RMBS”) mortgages. Pools of mortgage loans and mortgage-backed loans, such as mezzanine loans, are assembled as securities for sale to investors by various governmental, government-related and private organizations. MBS include complex instruments such as collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), stripped MBS, mortgage pass-through securities and interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”). The MBS in which the Trust may invest include those with fixed, floating or variable interest rates, those with interest rates that change based on multiples of changes in a specified reference interest rate or index of interest rates and those with interest rates that change inversely to changes in interest rates, as well as those that do not bear interest. The Trust may invest in RMBS and CMBS issued by governmental entities and private issuers, including subordinated MBS and residual interests. The Trust may invest in sub-prime mortgages or MBS that are backed by sub-prime mortgages.

In general, losses on a mortgaged property securing a mortgage loan included in a securitization will be borne first by the equity holder of the property, then by a cash reserve fund or letter of credit, if any, then by the holder of a mezzanine loan or B-Note, if any, then by the “first loss” subordinated security holder (generally, the “B-Piece” buyer) and then by the holder of a higher rated security. The Trust may invest in any class of security included in a securitization. In the event of default and the exhaustion of any equity support, reserve fund, letter of credit, mezzanine loans or B-Notes, and any classes of securities junior to those in which the Trust invests, the Trust will not be able to recover all of its investment in the MBS it purchases. MBS in which the Trust invests may not contain reserve funds, letters of credit, mezzanine loans and/or junior classes of securities. The prices of lower credit quality securities are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than more highly rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual issuer developments.

Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. Mortgage pass-through securities differ from other forms of fixed-income securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these securities provide a monthly payment which consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential or commercial mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs that may be incurred. Some mortgage related securities (such as securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”)) are described as “modified pass-through.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment.

RMBS. RMBS are securities the payments on which depend primarily on the cash flow from residential mortgage loans made to borrowers that are secured on a first priority basis or second priority basis, subject to permitted liens, easements and other encumbrances by residential real estate (one- to four-family properties), the proceeds of which are used to purchase real estate and purchase or construct dwellings thereon or to refinance indebtedness previously used for such purposes. Non-agency residential mortgage loans are obligations of the borrowers thereunder only and

are not typically insured or guaranteed by any other person or entity. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by residential property is dependent upon the income or assets of the borrower. A number of factors, including a general economic downturn, acts of God, terrorism, social unrest and civil disturbances, may impair a borrower’s ability to repay its loans.

Agency RMBS. The principal U.S. Governmental guarantor of mortgage related securities is GNMA, which is a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation. GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as savings and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”), or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”). MBS issued by GNMA include GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as “Ginnie Maes”) which are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by GNMA and such guarantees are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. GNMA certificates also are supported by the authority of GNMA to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments under its guarantee.

Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”). FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation the common stock of which is owned entirely by private stockholders. FNMA purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA (also known as “Fannie Maes”) are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a government-sponsored corporation that issues FHLMC Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as “Freddie Macs” or “PCs”), which are pass-through securities, each representing an undivided interest in a pool of residential mortgages. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

In 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed FNMA and FHLMC into conservatorship. FNMA and FHLMC are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remains liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its MBS.

As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of FNMA and FHLMC and of any stockholder, officer or director of FNMA and FHLMC with respect to FNMA and FHLMC and the assets of FNMA and FHLMC. In connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury entered into a Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with each of FNMA and FHLMC pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury would purchase up to an aggregate of $100 billion of each of FNMA and FHLMC to maintain a positive net worth in each enterprise. This agreement contains various covenants that severely limit each enterprise’s operations. In exchange for entering into these agreements, the U.S. Treasury received $1 billion of each enterprise’s senior preferred stock and warrants to purchase 79.9% of each enterprise’s common stock. In February 2009, the U.S. Treasury doubled the size of its commitment to each enterprise under the Senior Preferred Stock Program to $200 billion. The U.S. Treasury’s obligations under the Senior Preferred Stock Program are for an indefinite period of time for a maximum amount of $200 billion per enterprise. In December 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced further amendments to the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements which included additional financial support to certain governmentally supported entities, including the Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”), FNMA and FHLMC. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict the future political, regulatory or economic changes that could impact FNMA, FHLMC and the FHLBs, and the values of their related securities or obligations. There is no assurance that the obligations of such entities will be satisfied in full, or that such obligations will not decrease in value or default.

Under the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (the “Reform Act”), which was included as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, FHFA, as conservator or receiver, has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by FNMA or FHLMC prior to FHFA’s appointment as conservator or receiver, as applicable, if FHFA determines, in its sole discretion, that performance of the contract is burdensome and that repudiation of the contract promotes the orderly administration of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s affairs. The Reform Act requires FHFA to exercise its right to repudiate any contract within a reasonable period of time after its appointment

as conservator or receiver. FHFA, in its capacity as conservator, has indicated that it has no intention to repudiate the guaranty obligations of FNMA or FHLMC because FHFA views repudiation as incompatible with the goals of the conservatorship. However, in the event that FHFA, as conservator or if it is later appointed as receiver for FNMA or FHLMC, were to repudiate any such guaranty obligation, the conservatorship or receivership estate, as applicable, would be liable for actual direct compensatory damages in accordance with the provisions of the Reform Act. Any such liability could be satisfied only to the extent of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s assets available therefor. In the event of repudiation, the payments of interest to holders of FNMA or FHLMC MBS would be reduced if payments on the mortgage loans represented in the mortgage loan groups related to such MBS are not made by the borrowers or advanced by the servicer. Any actual direct compensatory damages for repudiating these guaranty obligations may not be sufficient to offset any shortfalls experienced by such mortgage-backed security holders. Further, in its capacity as conservator or receiver, FHFA has the right to transfer or sell any asset or liability of FNMA or FHLMC without any approval, assignment or consent. Although FHFA has stated that it has no present intention to do so, if FHFA, as conservator or receiver, were to transfer any such guaranty obligation to another party, holders of FNMA or FHLMC MBS would have to rely on that party for satisfaction of the guaranty obligation and would be exposed to the credit risk of that party. In addition, certain rights provided to holders of MBS issued by FNMA and FHLMC under the operative documents related to such securities may not be enforced against FHFA, or enforcement of such rights may be delayed, during the conservatorship or any future receivership. The operative documents for FNMA and FHLMC MBS may provide (or with respect to securities issued prior to the date of the appointment of the conservator may have provided) that upon the occurrence of an event of default on the part of FNMA or FHLMC, in its capacity as guarantor, which includes the appointment of a conservator or receiver, holders of such MBS have the right to replace FNMA or FHLMC as trustee if the requisite percentage of MBS holders consent. The Reform Act prevents mortgage-backed security holders from enforcing such rights if the event of default arises solely because a conservator or receiver has been appointed.

A 2011 report to Congress from the Treasury Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development set forth a plan to reform America’s housing finance market, which would reduce the role of and eventually eliminate FNMA and FHLMC. Notably, the plan did not propose similar significant changes to GNMA, which guarantees payments on mortgage related securities backed by federally insured or guaranteed loans. The report also identified three proposals for Congress and the administration to consider for the long-term structure of the housing finance markets after the elimination of FNMA and FHLMC, including implementing: (i) a privatized system of housing finance that limits government insurance to very limited groups of creditworthy low- and moderate-income borrowers; (ii) a privatized system with a government backstop mechanism that would allow the government to insure a larger share of the housing finance market during a future housing crisis; and (iii) a privatized system where the government would offer reinsurance to holders of certain highly rated mortgage related securities insured by private insurers and would pay out under the reinsurance arrangements only if the private mortgage insurers were insolvent.

Non-Agency RMBS. Non-agency RMBS are issued by commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, private mortgage insurance companies and other non-governmental issuers. Timely payment of principal and interest on RMBS backed by pools created by non-governmental issuers often is supported partially by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance. The insurance and guarantees are issued by government entities, private insurers and the mortgage poolers. There can be no assurance that the private insurers or mortgage poolers can meet their obligations under the policies, so that if the issuers default on their obligations, the holders of the security could sustain a loss. No insurance or guarantee covers the Trust or the price of the Trust’s common shares. RMBS issued by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government agency and government-related securities because there are no direct or indirect government guarantees of payment.

CMBS. CMBS generally are multi-class debt or pass-through certificates secured or backed by mortgage loans on commercial properties. CMBS generally are structured to provide protection to the senior class investors against potential losses on the underlying mortgage loans. This protection generally is provided by having the holders of subordinated classes of securities (“Subordinated CMBS”) take the first loss if there are defaults on the underlying commercial mortgage loans. Other protection, which may benefit all of the classes or particular classes, may include issuer guarantees, reserve funds, additional Subordinated CMBS, cross-collateralization and over-collateralization.

The Trust may invest in Subordinated CMBS, which are subordinated in some manner as to the payment of principal and/or interest to the holders of more senior CMBS arising out of the same pool of mortgages and which are often referred to as “B-Pieces.” The holders of Subordinated CMBS typically are compensated with a higher stated yield than are the holders of more senior CMBS. On the other hand, Subordinated CMBS typically subject the holder to greater risk than senior CMBS and tend to be rated in a lower rating category (frequently a substantially lower rating category) than the senior CMBS issued in respect of the same mortgage pool. Subordinated CMBS generally are likely to be more sensitive to changes in prepayment and interest rates and the market for such securities may be less liquid than is the case for traditional income securities and senior CMBS.

CMOs. A CMO is a multi-class bond backed by a pool of mortgage pass-through certificates or mortgage loans. CMOs may be collateralized by (i) GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC pass-through certificates, (ii) unsecuritized mortgage loans insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA, (iii) unsecuritized conventional mortgages, (iv) other MBS or (v) any combination thereof. Each class of a CMO, often referred to as a “tranche,” is issued at a specific coupon rate and has a stated maturity or final distribution date. Principal prepayments on collateral underlying a CMO may cause it to be retired substantially earlier than its stated maturity or final distribution date. The principal and interest on the underlying mortgages may be allocated among the several classes of a series of a CMO in many ways. One or more tranches of a CMO may have coupon rates which reset periodically at a specified increment over an index, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) (or sometimes more than one index). These floating rate CMOs typically are issued with lifetime caps on the coupon rate thereon. CMO residuals represent the interest in any excess cash flow remaining after making the payments of interest and principal on the tranches issued by the CMO and the payment of administrative expenses and management fees.

The Trust may invest in inverse floating rate CMOs. Inverse floating rate CMOs constitute a tranche of a CMO with a coupon rate that moves in the reverse direction relative to an applicable index such as LIBOR. Accordingly, the coupon rate thereon will increase as interest rates decrease. Inverse floating rate CMOs are typically more volatile than fixed or floating rate tranches of CMOs. Many inverse floating rate CMOs have coupons that move inversely to a multiple of an index. The effect of the coupon varying inversely to a multiple of an applicable index creates a leverage factor. Inverse floating rate debt instruments (“inverse floaters”) based on multiples of a stated index are designed to be highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and can subject the holders thereof to extreme reductions of yield and loss of principal. The market for inverse floating rate CMOs with highly leveraged characteristics at times may be very thin. The Trust’s ability to dispose of its positions in such securities will depend on the degree of liquidity in the markets for such securities. It is impossible to predict the amount of trading interest that may exist in such securities, and therefore the future degree of liquidity.

Sub-Prime Mortgages. Sub-prime mortgages are mortgages rated below A by Moody’s Investor’s Service, Inc., S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc. or Fitch Ratings. Historically, sub-prime mortgage loans have been made to borrowers with blemished (or non-existent) credit records, and the borrower is charged a higher interest rate to compensate for the greater risk of delinquency and the higher costs of loan servicing and collection. Sub-prime mortgages are subject to both state and federal anti-predatory lending statutes that carry potential liability to secondary market purchasers such as the Trust. Sub-prime mortgages have certain characteristics and associated risks similar to below investment grade securities, including a higher degree of credit risk, and certain characteristics and associated risks similar to MBS, including prepayment risk.

Mortgage Related ABS. Asset-backed securities (“ABS”) are bonds backed by pools of loans or other receivables. ABS are created from many types of assets, including in some cases mortgage related asset classes, such as home equity loan ABS. Home equity loan ABS are subject to many of the same risks as RMBS, including interest rate risk and prepayment risk.

Mortgage REITs. A REIT is a corporation, or a business trust that would otherwise be taxed as a corporation, that meets the definitional requirements applicable to REITs under the Code. The Code permits a qualifying REIT to deduct dividends paid, thereby generally eliminating corporate level U.S. federal income tax and effectively making the REIT a pass-through vehicle for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To meet the definitional requirements of the Code, a REIT must, among other things, invest substantially all of its assets in interests in real estate (including mortgages and other REITs) or cash and government securities, derive most of its income from rents from real property or interest on loans secured by mortgages on real property, and distribute to shareholders annually substantially all of its otherwise taxable income. Mortgage REITs invest mostly in mortgages on real estate, which

may secure construction, development or long-term loans, and the main source of their income is mortgage interest payments. The value of securities issued by REITs is affected by tax and regulatory requirements and by perceptions of management skill. They also are subject to heavy cash flow dependency and the possibility of failing to qualify for REIT status under the Code or to maintain exemption from the Investment Company Act.

Mortgage Related Derivative Instruments. The Trust may invest in MBS credit default swaps. MBS credit default swaps include swaps the reference obligation for which is an MBS or related index, such as the CMBX Index (a tradeable index referencing a basket of CMBS), the TRX Index (a tradeable index referencing total return swaps based on CMBS) or the ABX Index (a tradeable index referencing a basket of sub-prime MBS). The Trust may engage in other derivative transactions related to MBS, including purchasing and selling exchange-listed and OTC put and call options, futures and forwards on mortgages and MBS. The Trust may invest in newly developed mortgage related derivatives that may hereafter become available.

Net Interest Margin (NIM) Securities. The Trust may invest in net interest margin (“NIM”) securities. These securities are derivative interest-only mortgage securities structured off home equity loan transactions. NIM securities receive any “excess” interest computed after paying coupon costs, servicing costs and fees and any credit losses associated with the underlying pool of home equity loans. Like traditional stripped MBS, the yield to maturity on a NIM security is sensitive not only to changes in prevailing interest rates but also to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying home equity loans. NIM securities are highly sensitive to credit losses on the underlying collateral and the timing in which those losses are taken.

Tiered Index Bonds. Tiered index bonds are relatively new forms of mortgage-related securities. The interest rate on a tiered index bond is tied to a specified index or market rate. So long as this index or market rate is below a predetermined “strike” rate, the interest rate on the tiered index bond remains fixed. If, however, the specified index or market rate rises above the “strike” rate, the interest rate of the tiered index bond will decrease. Thus, under these circumstances, the interest rate on a tiered index bond, like an inverse floater, will move in the opposite direction of prevailing interest rates, with the result that the price of the tiered index bond may be considerably more volatile than that of a fixed-rate bond.

TBA Commitments. The Trust may enter into “to be announced” or “TBA” commitments. TBA commitments are forward agreements for the purchase or sale of securities, including mortgage-backed securities, for a fixed price, with payment and delivery on an agreed upon future settlement date. The specific securities to be delivered are not identified at the trade date. However, delivered securities must meet specified terms, including issuer, rate and mortgage terms. See “The Trust’s Investments—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Securities” in the prospectus.

Other Mortgage Related Securities. Other mortgage related securities include securities other than those described above that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property. Other mortgage related securities may be equity or debt securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

The Trust may invest in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), which include collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other similarly structured securities. CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is ordinarily issued by a trust or other special purpose entity (“SPE”) and is typically backed by a diversified pool of fixed-income securities (which may include high risk, below investment grade securities) held by such issuer. A CLO is ordinarily issued by a trust or other SPE and is typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and non-U.S. senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans, held by such issuer. Investments in a CLO organized outside of the United States may not be deemed to be foreign securities if the CLO is collateralized by a pool of loans, a substantial portion of which are U.S. loans. Although certain CDOs may benefit from credit enhancement in the form of a senior-subordinate structure, over-collateralization or bond insurance, such enhancement may not always be present, and may fail to protect the Trust

against the risk of loss on default of the collateral. Certain CDO issuers may use derivatives contracts to create “synthetic” exposure to assets rather than holding such assets directly, which entails the risks of derivative instruments described elsewhere in the prospectus and this SAI. CDOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses, which are in addition to those of the Trust.

For both CBOs and CLOs, the cash flows from the SPE are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche, which bears the first loss from defaults from the bonds or loans in the SPE and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default (though such protection is not complete). Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CBO or CLO typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying securities, and may be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO or CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, downgrades of the underlying collateral by rating agencies, forced liquidation of the collateral pool due to a failure of coverage tests, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults as well as investor aversion to CBO or CLO securities as a class. Interest on certain tranches of a CDO may be paid in kind or deferred and capitalized (paid in the form of obligations of the same type rather than cash), which involves continued exposure to default risk with respect to such payments.

The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO in which the Trust invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities laws. However, an active dealer market may exist for CDOs, allowing a CDO to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed-income securities and ABS generally discussed elsewhere in this SAI, 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 Trust 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 Trust 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.

Stripped securities are created when the issuer separates the interest and principal components of an instrument and sells them as separate securities. In general, one security is entitled to receive the interest payments on the underlying assets (the interest only or “IO” security) and the other to receive the principal payments (the principal only or “PO” security). Some stripped securities may receive a combination of interest and principal payments. The yields to maturity on IOs and POs are sensitive to the expected or anticipated rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying assets, and principal payments may have a material effect on yield to maturity. If the underlying assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Trust may not fully recoup its initial investment in IOs. Conversely, if the underlying assets experience less than anticipated prepayments of principal, the yield on POs could be adversely affected. Stripped securities may be highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and rates of prepayment.

As described in the prospectus, the Trust may use Strategic Transactions (as defined in the prospectus). This section contains various additional information about the types of Strategic Transactions in which the Trust may engage.

Swaps. The Trust may enter into swap agreements, including interest rate and index swap agreements. Swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. The “notional amount” of the swap agreement is only a fictive basis on which to

calculate the obligations that the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange. The Trust’s obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). The Trust’s obligations under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owing to the Trust) and the Trust will segregate with a custodian or earmark on its books and records an amount of cash or liquid assets having an aggregate NAV at all times at least equal to any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty.

Whether the Trust’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objectives will depend on the Advisor’s ability to correctly predict whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Moreover, the Trust bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. Swap agreements also bear the risk that the Trust will not be able to meet its payment obligations to the counterparty. As noted, however, the Trust will deposit in a segregated account, or earmark on its books and records, liquid assets permitted to be so segregated or earmarked by the SEC in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the Trust’s liabilities under the swap agreement or the amount it would cost the Trust initially to make an equivalent direct investment plus or minus any amount the Trust is obligated to pay or is to receive under the swap agreement. Restrictions imposed by the tax rules applicable to regulated investment companies (“RICs”) may limit the Trust’s ability to use swap agreements. It is possible that developments in the swap market, including government regulation, could adversely affect the Trust’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.

Swaptions. A swaption is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. The Trust may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions. Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, the Trust will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When the Trust purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when the Trust writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option the Trust will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.

Total Return Swaps. Total return swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Trust’s portfolio because, in addition to its Managed Assets (as defined in the prospectus), the Trust would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Total return swap agreements are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to the Trust thereunder. Swap agreements also bear the risk that the Trust will not be able to meet its obligation to the counterparty. Generally, the Trust will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted against one another with the Trust receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Trust’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by the Trust or earmarked on its books and records. If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of the Trust’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of the Trust’s obligations will be segregated or earmarked by the Trust in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap agreement or the amount it would have cost the Trust initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount the Trust is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap agreement.

Foreign Exchange Transactions. The Trust may engage in spot and forward foreign exchange transactions and currency swaps, purchase and sell options on currencies and purchase and sell currency futures and related options thereon (collectively, “Currency Instruments”). Such transactions could be effected with respect to hedges on

foreign dollar denominated securities owned by the Trust, sold by the Trust but not yet delivered, or committed or anticipated to be purchased by the Trust. As an illustration, the Trust may use such techniques to hedge the stated value in U.S. dollars of an investment in a yen-denominated security. In such circumstances, for example, the Trust may purchase a foreign currency put option enabling it to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date. To the extent the hedge is successful, a loss in the value of the yen relative to the dollar will tend to be offset by an increase in the value of the put option. To offset, in whole or in part, the cost of acquiring such a put option, the Trust may also sell a call option which, if exercised, requires it to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date (a technique called a “straddle”). By selling such a call option in this illustration, the Trust gives up the opportunity to profit without limit from increases in the relative value of the yen to the dollar. “Straddles” of the type that may be used by the Trust are considered to constitute hedging transactions. The Trust may not attempt to hedge any or all of its foreign portfolio positions.

Forward Foreign Currency Contracts. The Trust may enter into forward currency contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars or another foreign currency. A forward currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days (term) from the date of the forward currency contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time the forward currency contract is entered into. Forward currency contracts are traded directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. The Trust may purchase a forward currency contract to lock in the U.S. dollar price of a security denominated in a foreign currency that the Trust intends to acquire. The Trust may sell a forward currency contract to lock in the U.S. dollar equivalent of the proceeds from the anticipated sale of a security or a dividend or interest payment denominated in a foreign currency. The Trust may also use forward currency contracts to shift the Trust’s exposure to foreign currency exchange rate changes from one currency to another. For example, if the Trust owns securities denominated in a foreign currency and the Advisor believes that currency will decline relative to another currency, the Trust might enter into a forward currency contract to sell the appropriate amount of the first foreign currency with payment to be made in the second currency. The Trust may also purchase forward currency contracts to enhance income when the Advisor anticipates that the foreign currency will appreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency do not present attractive investment opportunities. The Trust may also use forward currency contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of existing investments denominated in a foreign currency. Such a hedge would tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations, but would not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. The Trust could also hedge the position by entering into a forward currency contract to sell another currency expected to perform similarly to the currency in which the Trust’s existing investments are denominated. This type of transaction could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield or efficiency, but may not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a simple forward currency transaction to sell U.S. dollars. This type of transaction may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated. The Trust may also use forward currency contracts in one currency or a basket of currencies to attempt to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities denominated in a different currency if the Advisor anticipates that there will be a correlation between the two currencies.

The cost to the Trust of engaging in forward currency contracts varies with factors such as the currency involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Because forward currency contracts are usually entered into on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved. When the Trust enters into a forward currency contract, it relies on the counterparty to make or take delivery of the underlying currency at the maturity of the contract. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of some or all of any expected benefit of the transaction. Secondary markets generally do not exist for forward currency contracts, with the result that closing transactions generally can be made for forward currency contracts only by negotiating directly with the counterparty. Thus, there can be no assurance that the Trust will in fact be able to close out a forward currency contract at a favorable price prior to maturity. In addition, in the event of insolvency of the counterparty, the Trust might be unable to close out a forward currency contract. In either event, the Trust would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position, and would continue to be required to maintain a position in securities denominated in the foreign currency or to maintain cash or liquid assets in a segregated account or earmark such cash or liquid assets on its books and records. The precise matching of forward currency contract amounts and the value of the securities involved generally will not be possible because the value of such securities, measured in the foreign currency, will change after the forward currency contract has been established. Thus, the Trust might need to purchase or sell foreign currencies in the spot (cash) market to the extent such foreign currencies are not covered by forward currency contracts. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain.

Use of Options as Strategic Transactions. In addition to the options strategy described in the prospectus as part of the Trust’s investment strategy, the Trust may also use options as Strategic Transactions.

Call Options as Strategic Transactions. The Trust may purchase call options on any of the types of securities or instruments in which it may invest. A purchased call option gives the Trust the right to buy, and obligates the seller to sell, the underlying security at the exercise price at any time during the option period. The Trust also may purchase and sell call options on indices. Index options are similar to options on securities except that, rather than taking or making delivery of securities underlying the option at a specified price upon exercise, an index option gives the holder the right to receive cash upon exercise of the option if the level of the index upon which the option is based is greater than the exercise price of the option.

The Trust may write (i.e., sell) covered call options on the securities or instruments it holds and enter into closing purchase transactions with respect to certain of such options. A covered call option is an option in which the Trust, in return for a premium, gives another party a right to buy specified securities owned by the Trust at a specified future date and price set at the time of the contract. The principal reason for writing covered call options is the attempt to realize, through the receipt of premiums, a greater return than would be realized on the securities alone. By writing covered call options, the Trust gives up the opportunity, while the option is in effect, to profit from any price increase in the underlying security above the option exercise price. In addition, the Trust’s ability to sell the underlying security will be limited while the option is in effect unless the Trust enters into a closing purchase transaction. A closing purchase transaction cancels out the Trust’s position as the writer of an option by means of an offsetting purchase of an identical option prior to the expiration of the option it has written. Covered call options also serve as a partial hedge to the extent of the premium received against the price of the underlying security declining.

The Trust may write (i.e., sell) uncovered call options on securities or instruments in which it may invest but that are not currently held by the Trust. The principal reason for writing uncovered call options is to realize income without committing capital to the ownership of the underlying securities or instruments. When writing uncovered call options, the Trust must deposit and maintain sufficient margin with the broker-dealer through which it made the uncovered call option as collateral to ensure that the securities can be purchased for delivery if and when the option is exercised. In addition, in connection with each such transaction the Trust will segregate, or designate on its books and records, liquid assets or cash with a value at least equal to the Trust’s exposure (the difference between the unpaid amounts owed by the Trust on such transaction minus any collateral deposited with the broker-dealer), on a marked-to-market basis (as calculated pursuant to requirements of the SEC). Such segregation or earmarking will ensure that the Trust has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction and will avoid any potential leveraging of the Trust’s portfolio. Such designation will not limit the Trust’s exposure to loss. During periods of declining securities prices or when prices are stable, writing uncovered calls can be a profitable strategy to increase the Trust’s income with minimal capital risk. Uncovered calls are riskier than covered calls because there is no underlying security held by the Trust that can act as a partial hedge. Uncovered calls have speculative characteristics and the potential for loss is unlimited. When an uncovered call is exercised, the Trust must purchase the underlying security to meet its call obligation. There is also a risk, especially with less liquid preferred and debt securities, that the securities may not be available for purchase. If the purchase price exceeds the exercise price, the Trust will lose the difference.

Put Options as Strategic Transactions. The Trust may purchase put options. By buying a put option, the Trust acquires a right to sell such underlying securities or instruments at the exercise price, thus limiting the Trust’s risk of loss through a decline in the market value of the securities or instruments until the put option expires. The amount of any appreciation in the value of the underlying securities or instruments will be partially offset by the amount of the premium paid for the put option and any related transaction costs. Prior to its expiration, a put option may be sold in a closing sale transaction and profit or loss from the sale will depend on whether the amount received is more or less than the premium paid for the put option plus the related transaction costs. A closing sale transaction cancels out the Trust’s position as the purchaser of an option by means of an offsetting sale of an identical option prior to the expiration of the option it has purchased.

The Trust also may write (i.e., sell) put options on securities or instruments in which it may invest but that the Trust does not currently have a corresponding short position or has not deposited cash equal to the exercise value of the put option with the broker-dealer through which it made the uncovered put option as collateral. The principal reason for writing such put options is to receive premium income and to acquire such securities or instruments at a net cost below the current market value. The Trust has the obligation to buy the securities or instruments at an agreed upon price if the securities or instruments decrease below the exercise price. If the securities or instruments price increases during the option period, the option will expire worthless and the Trust will retain the premium and will not have to purchase the securities or instruments at the exercise price. In connection with such transaction, the Trust will segregate or designate on its books and records liquid assets or cash with a value at least equal to the Trust’s exposure, on a marked-to-market basis (as calculated pursuant to requirements of the SEC). Such designation will ensure that the Trust has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction and will avoid any potential leveraging of the Trust’s portfolio. Such designation will not limit the Trust’s exposure to loss.

The Trust will not sell puts if, as a result, more than 50% of the Trust’s total assets would be required to cover its potential obligations under its hedging and other investment transactions. In selling puts, there is a risk that the Trust may be required to buy the underlying security at a price higher than the current market price.

Financial Futures Transactions and Options. The Trust is authorized to purchase and sell certain exchange traded financial futures contracts (“financial futures contracts”) in order to hedge its investments against declines in value, and to hedge against increases in the cost of securities it intends to purchase or to seek to enhance the Trust’s return. However, any transactions involving financial futures or options (including puts and calls associated therewith) will be in accordance with the Trust’s investment policies and limitations. A financial futures contract obligates the seller of a contract to deliver and the purchaser of a contract to take delivery of the type of financial instrument covered by the contract, or in the case of index-based futures contracts to make and accept a cash settlement, at a specific future time for a specified price. To hedge its portfolio, the Trust may take an investment position in a futures contract which will move in the opposite direction from the portfolio position being hedged. A sale of financial futures contracts may provide a hedge against a decline in the value of portfolio securities because such depreciation may be offset, in whole or in part, by an increase in the value of the position in the financial futures contracts. A purchase of financial futures contracts may provide a hedge against an increase in the cost of securities intended to be purchased because such appreciation may be offset, in whole or in part, by an increase in the value of the position in the futures contracts.

Distributions, if any, of net long term capital gains from certain transactions in futures or options are taxable at long term capital gains rates for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Futures Contracts. A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a security or, in the case of an index-based futures contract, to make and accept a cash settlement for a set price on a future date. A majority of transactions in futures contracts, however, do not result in the actual delivery of the underlying instrument or cash settlement, but are settled through liquidation, i.e., by entering into an offsetting transaction. Futures contracts have been designed by boards of trade which have been designated “contracts markets” by the CFTC.

The purchase or sale of a futures contract differs from the purchase or sale of a security in that no price or premium is paid or received. Instead, an amount of cash or securities acceptable to the broker and the relevant contract market, which varies, but is generally about 5% of the contract amount, must be deposited with the broker. This amount is known as “initial margin” and represents a “good faith” deposit assuring the performance of both the purchaser and seller under the futures contract. Subsequent payments to and from the broker, called “variation margin,” are required to be made on a daily basis as the price of the futures contract fluctuates making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as “marking to the market.” At any time prior to the settlement date of the futures contract, the position may be closed out by taking an opposite position that will operate to terminate the position in the futures contract. A final determination of variation margin is then made, additional cash is required to be paid to or released by the broker and the purchaser realizes a loss or gain. In addition, a nominal commission is paid on each completed sale transaction.

The Trust may also purchase and sell financial futures contracts on U.S. Government securities as a hedge against adverse changes in interest rates as described below. The Trust may purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts on U.S. Government securities in connection with its hedging strategies.

The Trust also may engage in other futures contracts transactions such as futures contracts on municipal bond indices that may become available if the Advisor should determine that there is normally a sufficient correlation between the prices of such futures contracts and municipal bonds in which the Trust invests to make such hedging appropriate.

Futures Strategies. The Trust may sell a financial futures contract (i.e., assume a short position) in anticipation of a decline in the value of its investments resulting from an increase in interest rates or otherwise. The risk of decline could be reduced without employing futures as a hedge by selling investments and either reinvesting the proceeds in securities with shorter maturities or by holding assets in cash. This strategy, however, entails increased transaction costs in the form of dealer spreads and typically would reduce the average yield of the Trust’s portfolio securities as a result of the shortening of maturities. The sale of futures contracts provides an alternative means of hedging against declines in the value of its investments. As such values decline, the value of the Trust’s positions in the futures contracts will tend to increase, thus offsetting all or a portion of the depreciation in the market value of the Trust’s investments that are being hedged. While the Trust will incur commission expenses in selling and closing out futures positions, commissions on futures transactions are typically lower than transaction costs incurred in the purchase and sale of the Trust’s investments being hedged. In addition, the ability of the Trust to trade in the standardized contracts available in the futures markets may offer a more effective defensive position than a program to reduce the average maturity of the portfolio securities due to the unique and varied credit and technical characteristics of the instruments available to the Trust. Employing futures as a hedge also may permit the Trust to assume a defensive posture without reducing the yield on its investments beyond any amounts required to engage in futures trading.

When the Trust intends to purchase a security, the Trust may purchase futures contracts as a hedge against any increase in the cost of such security resulting from a decrease in interest rates or otherwise, that may occur before such purchase can be effected. Subject to the degree of correlation between such securities and futures contracts, subsequent increases in the cost of such securities should be reflected in the value of the futures held by the Trust. As such purchases are made, an equivalent amount of futures contracts will be closed out. Due to changing market conditions and interest rate forecasts, however, a futures position may be terminated without a corresponding purchase of portfolio securities.

Call Options on Futures Contracts. The Trust may also purchase and sell exchange traded call and put options on financial futures contracts. The purchase of a call option on a futures contract is analogous to the purchase of a call option on an individual security. Depending on the pricing of the option compared to either the futures contract upon which it is based or the price of the underlying securities, it may or may not be less risky than ownership of the futures contract or underlying securities. Like the purchase of a futures contract, the Trust may purchase a call option on a futures contract to hedge against a market advance when the Trust is not fully invested.

The writing of a call option on a futures contract constitutes a partial hedge against declining prices of the securities which are deliverable upon exercise of the futures contract. If the futures price at expiration is below the exercise price, the Trust will retain the full amount of the option premium which provides a partial hedge against any decline that may have occurred in the Trust’s portfolio holdings.

Put Options on Futures Contracts. The purchase of a put option on a futures contract is analogous to the purchase of a protective put option on portfolio securities. The Trust may purchase a put option on a futures contract to hedge the Trust’s portfolio against the risk of rising interest rates.

The writing of a put option on a futures contract constitutes a partial hedge against increasing prices of the securities which are deliverable upon exercise of the futures contract. If the futures price at expiration is higher than the exercise price, the Trust will retain the full amount of the option premium which provides a partial hedge against any increase in the price of securities which the Trust intends to purchase.

The writer of an option on a futures contract is required to deposit initial and variation margin pursuant to requirements similar to those applicable to futures contracts. Premiums received from the writing of an option will be included in initial margin. The writing of an option on a futures contract involves risks similar to those relating to futures contracts.

When the Trust purchases a futures contract, or writes a put option or purchases a call option thereon, an amount of cash, cash equivalents (e.g. high grade commercial paper and daily tender adjustable notes) or liquid securities will be segregated or designated on its books and records, so that the amount so segregated or earmarked, plus the amount of initial and variation margin held in the account of its broker, equals the market value of the futures contracts, thereby ensuring that the use of such futures contract is unleveraged.

Additional Information About Options. In the case of either put or call options that it has purchased, if the option expires without being sold or exercised, the Trust will experience a loss in the amount of the option premium plus any commissions paid by the Trust. When the Trust sells put and call options, it receives a premium as the seller of the option. The premium that the Trust receives for selling the option will serve as a partial and limited (to the dollar amount of the premium) hedge, in the amount of the option premium, against changes in the value of the securities in its portfolio. During the term of the option, however, a covered call seller has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity for capital appreciation above the exercise price of the option if the value of the underlying security increases, but has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. Conversely, a put seller retains the risk of loss should the market value of the underlying security decline below the exercise price of the option, less the premium received on the sale of the option. The Trust may purchase and sell exchange-listed options and over-the-counter options (“OTC options”) which are privately negotiated with the counterparty. Listed options are issued by the OCC, which guarantees the performance of the obligations of the parties to such options.

The Trust’s ability to close out its position as a purchaser or seller of an exchange-listed put or call option is dependent upon the existence of a liquid secondary market on option exchanges. Among the possible reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange are: (i) insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions on transactions imposed by an exchange; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities; (iv) interruption of the normal operations on an exchange; (v) inadequacy of the facilities of an exchange or OCC to handle current trading volume; or (vi) a decision by one or more exchanges to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange that had been listed by the OCC as a result of trades on that exchange would generally continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms. OTC options are purchased from or sold to dealers, financial institutions or other counterparties which have entered into direct agreements with the Trust. With OTC options, such variables as expiration date, exercise price and premium will be agreed upon between the Trust and the counterparty, without the intermediation of a third party such as the OCC. If the counterparty fails to make or take delivery of the securities underlying an option it has written, or otherwise settle the transaction in accordance with the terms of that option as written, the Trust would lose the premium paid for the option as well as any anticipated benefit of the transaction. OTC options and assets used to cover OTC options written by the Trust are considered by the staff of the SEC to be illiquid. The illiquidity of such options or assets may prevent a successful sale of such options or assets, result in a delay of sale, or reduce the amount of proceeds that might otherwise be realized.

The hours of trading for options on debt securities may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets.

Hybrid Instruments. A hybrid instrument is a type of potentially high-risk derivative that combines a traditional bond, stock or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a hybrid is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed-income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid security may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. An example of a hybrid could be a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest with additional interest that accrues in correlation to the extent to which oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a hybrid instrument would be a combination of a bond and a call option on oil. Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, duration management and increased total return. Hybrids may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a hybrid or its interest rate may be a multiple of a

benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as commodity shortages and currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid could be zero. Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes the Trust to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the NAV of the Trust’s common shares if the Trust invests in hybrid instruments.

New Products. The financial markets continue to evolve and financial products continue to be developed. The Trust reserves the right to invest in new financial products as they are developed or become more widely accepted. As with any new financial product, these products will entail risks, including risks to which the Trust currently is not subject.

The principal risks relating to the use of futures contracts and other Strategic Transactions are: (i) less than perfect correlation between the prices of the instrument and the market value of the securities in the Trust’s portfolio; (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for closing out a position in such instruments; (iii) losses resulting from interest rate or other market movements not anticipated by the Advisor; and (iv) the obligation to meet additional variation margin or other payment requirements, all of which could result in the Trust being in a worse position than if such transactions had not been used.

Certain provisions of the Code may restrict or affect the ability of the Trust to engage in Strategic Transactions. See “Tax Matters.”

For temporary defensive purposes or to keep cash on hand fully invested, the Trust may invest up to 100% of its total assets in cash equivalents and short-term debt securities.

The value of convertible securities is influenced by both the yield on nonconvertible securities of comparable issuers and by the value of the underlying common stock. The value of a convertible security viewed without regard to its conversion feature (i.e., strictly on the basis of its yield) is sometimes referred to as its “investment value.” To the extent interest rates change, the investment value of the convertible security typically will fluctuate. At the same time, however, the value of the convertible security will be influenced by its “conversion value,” which is the market value of the underlying common stock that would be obtained if the convertible security were converted. Conversion value fluctuates directly with the price of the underlying common stock. If the conversion value of a convertible security is substantially below its investment value, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. To the extent the conversion value of a convertible security increases to a point that approximates or exceeds its investment value, the price of the convertible security will be influenced principally by its conversion value. A convertible security will sell at a premium over the conversion value to the extent investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed-income security. The yield and conversion premium of convertible securities issued in Japan and the Euromarket are frequently determined at levels that cause the conversion value to affect their market value more than the securities’ investment value.

Holders of convertible securities generally have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the common stockholders but may be subordinated to other debt securities of the same issuer. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in a charter provision, indenture or other governing instrument pursuant to which the convertible security was issued. If a convertible security held by the Trust is called for redemption, the Trust will be required to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party. Certain convertible debt securities may provide a put option to the holder, which entitles the holder to cause the security to be redeemed by the issuer at a premium over the stated principal amount of the debt security under certain circumstances.

The Trust may also invest in synthetic convertible securities. Synthetic convertible securities may include either Cash-Settled Convertibles or Manufactured Convertibles. “Cash-Settled Convertibles” are instruments that are created by the issuer and have the economic characteristics of traditional convertible securities but may not actually permit conversion into the underlying equity securities in all circumstances. As an example, a private company may issue a Cash-Settled Convertible that is convertible into common stock only if the company successfully completes a public offering of its common stock prior to maturity and otherwise pays a cash amount to reflect any equity appreciation. “Manufactured Convertibles” are created by the Advisor or another party by combining separate securities that possess one of the two principal characteristics of a convertible security, i.e., fixed-income (“fixed-income component”) or a right to acquire equity securities (“convertibility component”). The fixed-income component is achieved by investing in nonconvertible fixed-income securities, such as nonconvertible bonds, preferred stocks and money market instruments. The convertibility component is achieved by investing in call options, warrants, or other securities with equity conversion features (“equity features”) granting the holder the right to purchase a specified quantity of the underlying stocks within a specified period of time at a specified price or, in the case of a stock index option, the right to receive a cash payment based on the value of the underlying stock index.

A Manufactured Convertible differs from traditional convertible securities in several respects. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security that has a unitary market value, a Manufactured Convertible is comprised of two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the total “market value” of such a Manufactured Convertible is the sum of the values of its fixed-income component and its convertibility component.

More flexibility is possible in the creation of a Manufactured Convertible than in the purchase of a traditional convertible security. Because many corporations have not issued convertible securities, the Advisor may combine a fixed-income instrument and an equity feature with respect to the stock of the issuer of the fixed-income instrument to create a synthetic convertible security otherwise unavailable in the market. The Advisor may also combine a fixed-income instrument of an issuer with an equity feature with respect to the stock of a different issuer when the Advisor believes such a Manufactured Convertible would better promote the Trust’s investment objectives than alternative investments. For example, the Advisor may combine an equity feature with respect to an issuer’s stock with a fixed-income security of a different issuer in the same industry to diversify the Trust’s credit exposure, or with a U.S. Treasury instrument to create a Manufactured Convertible with a higher credit profile than a traditional convertible security issued by that issuer. A Manufactured Convertible also is a more flexible investment in that its two components may be purchased separately and, upon purchasing the separate securities, “combined” to create a Manufactured Convertible. For example, the Trust may purchase a warrant for eventual inclusion in a Manufactured Convertible while postponing the purchase of a suitable bond to pair with the warrant pending development of more favorable market conditions.

The value of a Manufactured Convertible may respond to certain market fluctuations differently from a traditional convertible security with similar characteristics. For example, in the event the Trust created a Manufactured Convertible by combining a short-term U.S. Treasury instrument and a call option on a stock, the Manufactured Convertible would be expected to outperform a traditional convertible of similar maturity that is convertible into that stock during periods when Treasury instruments outperform corporate fixed-income securities and underperform during periods when corporate fixed-income securities outperform Treasury instruments.

The failure to exercise subscription rights to purchase common stock would result in the dilution of the Trust’s interest in the issuing company. The market for such rights is not well developed, and, accordingly, the Trust may not always realize full value on the sale of rights.

Investments in sovereign debt involve special risks. Foreign governmental issuers of debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or pay interest when due. In the event of default, there may be limited or no legal recourse in that, generally, remedies for defaults must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party. Political conditions, especially a sovereign entity’s willingness to meet the terms of its debt obligations, are of considerable significance. The ability of a foreign sovereign issuer, especially an emerging market country, to make timely payments on its debt obligations will also be strongly influenced by the sovereign issuer’s balance of payments, including export performance, its access to international credit facilities and investments, fluctuations of interest rates and the extent of its foreign reserves. The cost of servicing external debt will also generally be adversely affected by rising international interest rates, as many external debt obligations bear interest at rates which are adjusted based upon international interest rates. Also, there can be no assurance that the holders of commercial bank loans to the same sovereign entity may not contest payments to the holders of sovereign debt in the event of default under commercial bank loan agreements. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding with respect to sovereign debt on which a sovereign has defaulted and the Trust may be unable to collect all or any part of its investment in a particular issue. Foreign investment in certain sovereign debt is restricted or controlled to varying degrees, including requiring governmental approval for the repatriation of income, capital or proceeds of sales by foreign investors. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude foreign investment in certain sovereign debt and increase the costs and expenses of the Trust.

Zero coupon securities are securities that are sold at a discount to par value and do not pay interest during the life of the security. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the security will accrue and compound over the period until maturity at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security at the time of issuance. Upon maturity, the holder of a zero coupon security is entitled to receive the par value of the security.

While interest payments are not made on zero coupon securities, holders of such securities are deemed to have received income (“phantom income”) annually, notwithstanding that cash may not be received currently. The effect of owning instruments that do not make current interest payments is that a fixed yield is earned not only on the original investment but also, in effect, on all discount accretion during the life of the obligations. This implicit reinvestment of earnings at a fixed rate eliminates the risk of being unable to invest distributions at a rate as high as the implicit yield on the zero coupon security, but at the same time eliminates the holder’s ability to reinvest at higher rates in the future. For this reason, some of these securities may be subject to substantially greater price fluctuations during periods of changing market interest rates than are comparable securities that pay interest currently. Longer term zero coupon securities are more exposed to interest rate risk than shorter term zero coupon securities. These investments benefit the issuer by mitigating its need for cash to meet debt service, but also require a higher rate of return to attract investors who are willing to defer receipt of cash.

The Trust accrues income with respect to these securities for U.S. federal income tax and accounting purposes prior to the receipt of cash payments. Zero coupon securities may be subject to greater fluctuation in value and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities that pay cash interest at regular intervals.

Further, to maintain its qualification for pass-through treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws, the Trust is required to distribute income to its shareholders and, consequently, may have to dispose of other, more liquid portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances or may have to leverage itself by borrowing in order to generate the cash to satisfy these distributions. The required distributions may result in an increase in the Trust’s exposure to zero coupon securities.

In addition to the risks described herein, there are certain other risks related to investing in zero coupon securities. During a period of severe market conditions, the market for such securities may become even less liquid. In addition, as these securities do not pay cash interest, the Trust’s investment exposure to these securities and their risks, including credit risk, will increase during the time these securities are held in the Trust’s portfolio.

The Trust may invest in PIK bonds. PIK bonds are bonds which pay interest through the issuance of additional debt or equity securities. Similar to zero coupon obligations, PIK bonds also carry additional risk as holders of these types of securities realize no cash until the cash payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold and, if the issuer defaults, the Trust may obtain no return at all on its investment. The market price of PIK bonds is affected by interest rate changes to a greater extent, and therefore tends to be more volatile, than that of securities which pay interest in cash. Additionally, current U.S. federal income tax law requires the holder of certain PIK bonds to accrue income with respect to these securities prior to the receipt of cash payments. To maintain its qualification as a RIC and avoid liability for U.S. federal income and excise taxes, the Trust may be required to distribute income accrued with respect to these securities and may have to dispose of portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances in order to generate cash to satisfy these distribution requirements.

Investing in MBS entails various risks. MBS represent an interest in a pool of mortgages. The risks associated with MBS include: credit risk associated with the performance of the underlying mortgage properties and of the borrowers owning these properties; risks associated with their structure and execution (including the collateral, the process by which principal and interest payments are allocated and distributed to investors and how credit losses affect issuing vehicles and the return to investors in such MBS); whether the collateral represents a fixed set of specific assets or accounts, whether the underlying collateral assets are revolving or closed-end, under what terms (including maturity of the MBS) any remaining balance in the accounts may revert to the issuing entity and the extent to which the entity that is the actual source of the collateral assets is obligated to provide support to the issuing vehicle or to the investors in such MBS; risks associated with the servicer of the underlying mortgages; adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances, which are more likely to have an adverse impact on MBS secured by loans on certain types of commercial properties than on those secured by loans on residential properties; prepayment risk, which can lead to significant fluctuations in the value of the MBS; loss of all or part of the premium, if any, paid; and decline in the market value of the security, whether resulting from changes in interest

rates, prepayments on the underlying mortgage collateral or perceptions of the credit risk associated with the underlying mortgage collateral. In addition, the Trust’s level of investment in MBS of a particular type or in MBS issued or guaranteed by affiliated obligors, serviced by the same servicer or backed by underlying collateral located in a specific geographic region, may subject the Trust to additional risk.

When market interest rates decline, more mortgages are refinanced and the securities are paid off earlier than expected. Prepayments may also occur on a scheduled basis or due to foreclosure. During such periods, the reinvestment of prepayment proceeds by the Trust will generally be at lower rates than the rates that were carried by the obligations that have been prepaid. When market interest rates increase, the market values of MBS decline. At the same time, however, mortgage refinancings and prepayments slow, lengthening the effective maturities of these securities. As a result, the negative effect of the rate increase on the market value of MBS is usually more pronounced than it is for other types of fixed-income securities. Moreover, the relationship between borrower prepayments and changes in interest rates may mean some high-yielding mortgage related and other asset-backed securities have less potential for increases in value if market interest rates were to fall than conventional bonds with comparable maturities.

In general, losses on a mortgaged property securing a mortgage loan included in a securitization will be borne first by the equity holder of the property, then by a cash reserve fund or letter of credit, if any, then by the holder of a mezzanine loan or B-Note, if any, then by the “first loss” subordinated security holder (generally, the “B-Piece” buyer) and then by the holder of a higher rated security. The Trust could invest in any class of security included in a securitization. In the event of default and the exhaustion of any equity support, reserve fund, letter of credit, mezzanine loans or B-Notes, and any classes of securities junior to those in which the Trust invests, the Trust will not be able to recover all of its investment in the MBS it purchases. MBS in which the Trust invests may not contain reserve funds, letters of credit, mezzanine loans and/or junior classes of securities. The prices of lower credit quality securities are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than more highly rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual issuer developments.

MBS generally are classified as either RMBS or CMBS, each of which are subject to certain specific risks as further described below.

RMBS Risks. RMBS are securities the payments on which depend primarily on the cash flow from residential mortgage loans made to borrowers that are secured by residential real estate. Non-agency residential mortgage loans are obligations of the borrowers thereunder only and are not typically insured or guaranteed by any other person or entity. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by residential property is dependent upon the income or assets of the borrower. A number of factors, including a general economic downturn, acts of God, terrorism, social unrest and civil disturbances, may impair a borrower’s ability to repay its loans.

Agency RMBS Risks. MBS issued by FNMA or FHLMC are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA or FHLMC, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. In 2008, the FHFA placed FNMA and FHLMC into conservatorship. FNMA and FHLMC are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remains liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its MBS. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of FNMA and FHLMC and of any stockholder, officer or director of FNMA and FHLMC with respect to FNMA and FHLMC and the assets of FNMA and FHLMC. In connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury entered into an agreement with each of FNMA and FHLMC that contains various covenants that severely limit each enterprise’s operations. There is no assurance that the obligations of such entities will be satisfied in full, or that such obligations will not decrease in value or default.

Under the Reform Act, FHFA, as conservator or receiver, has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by FNMA or FHLMC prior to FHFA’s appointment as conservator or receiver, as applicable, if FHFA determines, in its sole discretion, that performance of the contract is burdensome and that repudiation of the contract promotes the orderly administration of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s affairs. In the event that FHFA, as conservator of, or if it is later appointed as receiver for, FNMA or FHLMC, were to repudiate any such guaranty obligation, the conservatorship or receivership estate, as applicable, would be liable for actual direct compensatory damages in accordance with the provisions of the Reform Act. Any such liability could be satisfied only to the extent of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s assets available therefor. In the event of repudiation, the payments of interest to holders of FNMA or FHLMC MBS

would be reduced if payments on the mortgage loans represented in the mortgage loan groups related to such MBS are not made by the borrowers or advanced by the servicer. Any actual direct compensatory damages for repudiating these guaranty obligations may not be sufficient to offset any shortfalls experienced by such MBS holders. Further, in its capacity as conservator or receiver, FHFA has the right to transfer or sell any asset or liability of FNMA or FHLMC without any approval, assignment or consent. If FHFA, as conservator or receiver, were to transfer any such guaranty obligation to another party, holders of FNMA or FHLMC MBS would have to rely on that party for satisfaction of the guaranty obligation and would be exposed to the credit risk of that party. In addition, certain rights provided to holders of MBS issued by FNMA and FHLMC under the operative documents related to such securities may not be enforced against FHFA, or enforcement of such rights may be delayed, during the conservatorship or any future receivership. The operative documents for FNMA and FHLMC MBS may provide (or with respect to securities issued prior to the date of the appointment of the conservator may have provided) that upon the occurrence of an event of default on the part of FNMA or FHLMC, in its capacity as guarantor, which includes the appointment of a conservator or receiver, holders of such MBS have the right to replace FNMA or FHLMC as trustee if the requisite percentage of MBS holders consent. The Reform Act prevents MBS holders from enforcing such rights if the event of default arises solely because a conservator or receiver has been appointed.

A 2011 report to Congress from the Treasury Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development set forth a plan to reform America’s housing finance market, which would reduce the role of and eventually eliminate FNMA and FHLMC, and identified proposals for Congress and the administration to consider for the long-term structure of the housing finance markets after the elimination of FNMA and FHLMC. The impact of such reforms on the markets for MBS is currently unknown. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict the future political, regulatory or economic changes that could impact FNMA, FHLMC and the Federal Home Loan Banks, and the values of their related securities or obligations.

Non-Agency RMBS Risks. Non-agency RMBS are securities issued by non-governmental issuers. Non-agency RMBS have no direct or indirect government guarantees of payment and are subject to various risks as described herein.

Borrower Credit Risk. Credit-related risk on RMBS arises from losses due to delinquencies and defaults by the borrowers in payments on the underlying mortgage loans and breaches by originators and servicers of their obligations under the underlying documentation pursuant to which the RMBS are issued. Non-agency residential mortgage loans are obligations of the borrowers thereunder only and are not typically insured or guaranteed by any other person or entity. The rate of delinquencies and defaults on residential mortgage loans and the aggregate amount of the resulting losses will be affected by a number of factors, including general economic conditions, particularly those in the area where the related mortgaged property is located, the level of the borrower’s equity in the mortgaged property and the individual financial circumstances of the borrower. If a residential mortgage loan is in default, foreclosure on the related residential property may be a lengthy and difficult process involving significant legal and other expenses. The net proceeds obtained by the holder on a residential mortgage loan following the foreclosure on the related property may be less than the total amount that remains due on the loan. The prospect of incurring a loss upon the foreclosure of the related property may lead the holder of the residential mortgage loan to restructure the residential mortgage loan or otherwise delay the foreclosure process.

RMBS Legal Risks. Legal risks associated with RMBS can arise as a result of the procedures followed in connection with the origination of the mortgage loans or the servicing thereof, which may be subject to various federal and state laws (including, without limitation, predatory lending laws), public policies and principles of equity that regulate interest rates and other charges, require certain disclosures, require licensing of originators, prohibit discriminatory lending practices, regulate the use of consumer credit information and debt collection practices and may limit the servicer’s ability to collect all or part of the principal of or interest on a residential mortgage loan, entitle the borrower to a refund of amounts previously paid by it or subject the servicer to damages and sanctions. Specifically, provisions of federal predatory lending laws, such as the federal Truth-in-Lending Act (as supplemented by the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act of 1994) and Regulation Z, and various recently enacted state predatory lending laws provide that a purchaser or assignee of specified types of residential mortgage loans (including an issuer of RMBS) may be held liable for violations by the originator of such mortgage loans. Under such assignee liability provisions, a borrower is generally given the right to assert against a purchaser of its mortgage loan any affirmative claims and defenses to payment that such borrower could assert against the originator of the loan or, where applicable, the home improvement contractor that arranged the loan. Liability under such assignee liability provisions could, therefore, result in a disruption of cash flows allocated to the holders of RMBS where either the issuer of such RMBS is liable for damages or is unable to enforce payment by the borrower.

In most but not all cases, the amount recoverable against a purchaser or assignee under such assignee liability provisions is limited to amounts previously paid and still owed by the borrower. Moreover, sellers of residential mortgage loans to an issuer of RMBS typically represent that the loans have been originated in accordance with all applicable laws and in the event such representation is breached, the seller typically must repurchase the offending loan. Notwithstanding these protections, an issuer of RMBS may be exposed to an unquantifiable amount of potential assignee liability because, first, the amount of potential assignee liability under certain predatory lending laws is unclear and has yet to be litigated, and, second, in the event a predatory lending law does not prohibit class action lawsuits, it is possible that an issuer of RMBS could be liable for damages for more than the original principal amount of the offending loans held by it. In such circumstances the issuer of RMBS may be forced to seek contribution from other parties, who may no longer exist or have adequate funds available to fund such contribution.

In addition, structural and legal risks of RMBS include the possibility that, in a bankruptcy or similar proceeding involving the originator or the servicer (often the same entity or affiliates), the assets of the issuer could be treated as never having been truly sold by the originator to the issuer and could be substantively consolidated with those of the originator, or the transfer of such assets to the issuer could be voided as a fraudulent transfer. Challenges based on such doctrines could result also in cash flow delays and losses on the related issue of RMBS.

Mortgage Loan Market Risk. In the recent past, the residential mortgage market in the United States experienced difficulties that adversely affected the performance and market value of certain mortgages and mortgage related securities. Delinquencies and losses on residential mortgage loans (especially sub-prime and second lien mortgage loans) generally increased during this period and declines in or flattening of housing values in many housing markets were generally viewed as exacerbating such delinquencies and losses. Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgages (“ARMs”) are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, which affect their monthly mortgage payments, and may be unable to secure replacement mortgages at comparably low interest rates.

At any one time, a portfolio of RMBS may be backed by residential mortgage loans that are highly concentrated in only a few states or regions. As a result, the performance of such residential mortgage loans may be more susceptible to a downturn in the economy, including in particular industries that are highly represented in such states or regions, natural calamities and other adverse conditions affecting such areas. The economic downturn experienced in the recent past at the national level, and the more serious economic downturn experienced in the recent past in certain geographic areas of the United States, including in particular areas of the United States where rates of delinquencies and defaults on residential mortgage loans were particularly high, is generally viewed as having contributed to the higher rates of delinquencies and defaults on the residential mortgage loans underlying RMBS during this period. There also can be no assurance that areas of the United States that mostly avoided higher rates of delinquencies and defaults on residential mortgage loans during this period would continue to do so if an economic downturn were to reoccur at the national level.

Another factor that may contribute to, and may in the future result in, higher delinquency and default rates is the increase in monthly payments on ARMs. Any increase in prevailing market interest rates, which are currently near historical lows, may result in increased payments for borrowers who have ARMs. Moreover, with respect to hybrid mortgage loans (which are mortgage loans combining fixed and adjustable rate features) after their initial fixed rate period or other adjustable-rate mortgage loans, interest-only products or products having a lower rate, and with respect to mortgage loans with a negative amortization feature which reach their negative amortization cap, borrowers may experience a substantial increase in their monthly payment even without an increase in prevailing market interest rates. Increases in payments for borrowers may result in increased rates of delinquencies and defaults on residential mortgage loans underlying the non-agency RMBS.

As a result of rising concerns about increases in delinquencies and defaults on residential mortgage loans (particularly on sub-prime and adjustable-rate mortgage loans) and as a result of increasing concerns about the financial strength of originators and servicers and their ability to perform their obligations with respect to non-agency RMBS, there may be an adverse change in the market sentiments of investors about the market values and volatility and the degree of risk of non-agency RMBS generally. Some or all of the underlying residential mortgage loans in an issue of non-agency RMBS may have balloon payments due on their respective maturity dates. Balloon

residential mortgage loans involve a greater risk to a lender than fully amortizing loans, because the ability of a borrower to pay such amount will normally depend on its ability to obtain refinancing of the related mortgage loan or sell the related mortgaged property at a price sufficient to permit the borrower to make the balloon payment, which will depend on a number of factors prevailing at the time such refinancing or sale is required, including, without limitation, the strength of the local or national residential real estate markets, interest rates and general economic conditions and the financial condition of the borrower. If borrowers are unable to make such balloon payments, the related issue of non-agency RMBS may experience losses.

The Trust may acquire RMBS backed by collateral pools of mortgage loans that have been originated using underwriting standards that are less restrictive than those used in underwriting “prime mortgage loans” and “Alt-A mortgage loans.” These lower standards include mortgage loans made to borrowers having imperfect or impaired credit histories, mortgage loans where the amount of the loan at origination is 80% or more of the value of the mortgage property, mortgage loans made to borrowers with low credit scores, mortgage loans made to borrowers who have other debt that represents a large portion of their income and mortgage loans made to borrowers whose income is not required to be disclosed or verified and are commonly referred to as “sub-prime” mortgage loans. Sub-prime mortgage loans have in recent periods experienced increased rates of delinquency, foreclosure, bankruptcy and loss, and they are likely to continue to experience delinquency, foreclosure, bankruptcy and loss rates that are higher, and that may be substantially higher, than those experienced by mortgage loans underwritten in a more traditional manner. Certain categories of RMBS, such as option ARM RMBS and sub-prime RMBS, have been referred to by the financial media as “toxic assets.”

Although the United States economy has been slowly improving in recent years, if the economy of the United States begins to deteriorate again the incidence of mortgage foreclosures, especially sub-prime mortgages, could begin to increase again, which could adversely affect the value of any RMBS owned by the Trust.

Legislation and Regulation Risk. The significance of the mortgage crisis and loan defaults in residential mortgage loan sectors led to the enactment in July 2008 of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, a wide-ranging housing rescue bill that offers up to $300 billion in assistance to troubled homeowners and emergency assistance to FNMA and FHLMC. This bill could potentially have a material adverse effect on the Trust’s investment program as the bill, among other things, provides approximately $180 million for “pre-foreclosure” housing counseling and legal services for distressed borrowers. In 2007, U.S. Treasury then-Secretary Henry Paulson and HUD then-Secretary Alphonso Jackson and the mortgage industry worked to develop HOPE NOW, an alliance of participants in the mortgage industry intended to work with borrowers with sub-prime mortgages facing interest rate increases and increasing payments. The Congressional Research Service reports that HOPE NOW has undertaken an initiative to provide homeowners with free telephone consultations with HUD-approved credit counselors, who can help homeowners contact their lenders and credit counselors to work out a plan to avoid foreclosure. Certain borrowers may also seek relief through the “FHA Secure” refinancing option that gives homeowners with non-FHA ARMs, current or delinquent and regardless of reset status, the ability to refinance into a FHA-insured mortgage. The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009, which was enacted on May 20, 2009, provides a safe harbor for servicers entering into “qualified loss mitigation plans” with respect to residential mortgages originated before the act was enacted. By protecting servicers from certain liabilities, this safe harbor may encourage loan modifications and reduce the likelihood that investors in securitizations will be paid on a timely basis or will be paid in full.

In addition, the mortgage crisis has led public advocacy groups to demand, and governmental officials and federal and state regulatory agencies to propose and consider, a variety of other “bailout” and “rescue” plans that could potentially have a material adverse effect on the investment program of the Trust. Some members of the U.S. Congress have expressed concern that the downturn in the housing market played a role in the rise of late mortgage payments and foreclosures and expressed an expectation that these conditions would lead to increased filings for bankruptcy. The terms of other proposed legislation or other plans may include, by way of example and not limitation, the following:

A significant number of loan modifications could result in a significant reduction in cash flows to the holders of the mortgage securities on an ongoing basis. These loan modification programs, as well as future legislative or regulatory actions, including amendments to the bankruptcy laws, that result in the modification of outstanding mortgage loans may adversely affect the value of, and the returns on, the assets in which the Trust may invest.

New laws, legislation or other government regulations, including those promulgated in furtherance of a “bailout” or “rescue” plan to address any potential crisis and distress in the residential mortgage loan sector, may result in a reduction of available transactional opportunities for the Trust, or an increase in the cost associated with such transactions. Any such law, legislation or regulation may adversely affect the market value of RMBS.

CMBS Risks. CMBS are, generally, securities backed by obligations (including certificates of participation in obligations) that are principally secured by mortgages on real property or interests therein having a multifamily or commercial use, such as regional malls, other retail space, office buildings, industrial or warehouse properties, hotels, nursing homes and senior living centers. The market for CMBS developed more recently and, in terms of total outstanding principal amount of issues, is relatively small compared to the market for single-family RMBS.

CMBS are subject to particular risks, including lack of standardized terms, shorter maturities than residential mortgage loans and payment of all or substantially all of the principal only at maturity rather than regular amortization of principal. Additional risks may be presented by the type and use of a particular commercial property. Special risks are presented by hospitals, nursing homes, hospitality properties and certain other property types. Commercial property values and net operating income are subject to volatility, which may result in net operating income becoming insufficient to cover debt service on the related mortgage loan. The repayment of loans secured by income-producing properties is typically dependent upon the successful operation of the related real estate project rather than upon the liquidation value of the underlying real estate. Furthermore, the net operating income from and value of any commercial property is subject to various risks, including changes in general or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments; the solvency of the related tenants; declines in real estate values; declines in rental or occupancy rates; increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses; changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies; acts of God; terrorist threats and attacks and social unrest and civil disturbances. Consequently, adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances are more likely to have an adverse impact on MBS secured by loans on commercial properties than on those secured by loans on residential properties. In addition, commercial lending generally is viewed as exposing the lender to a greater risk of loss than one-to four-family residential lending. Commercial lending, for example, typically involves larger loans to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers than residential one- to four- family mortgage loans. In addition, the repayment of loans secured by income producing properties typically is dependent upon the successful operation of the related real estate project and the cash flow generated therefrom.

The exercise of remedies and successful realization of liquidation proceeds relating to CMBS is also highly dependent on the performance of the servicer or special servicer. In many cases, overall control over the special servicing of related underlying mortgage loans will be held by a “directing certificateholder” or a “controlling class representative,” which is appointed by the holders of the most subordinate class of CMBS in such series.

The Trust may not have the right to appoint the directing certificateholder. In connection with the servicing of the specially serviced mortgage loans, the related special servicer may, at the direction of the directing certificateholder, take actions with respect to the specially serviced mortgage loans that could adversely affect the Trust’s interests. There may be a limited number of special servicers available, particularly those that do not have conflicts of interest.

The Trust may invest in Subordinated CMBS issued or sponsored by commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, private mortgage insurance companies and other non-governmental issuers. Subordinated CMBS have no governmental guarantee and are subordinated in some manner as to the payment of principal and/or interest to the holders of more senior CMBS arising out of the same pool of mortgages. Subordinated CMBS are often referred to as “B-Pieces.” The holders of Subordinated CMBS typically are compensated with a higher stated yield than are the holders of more senior CMBS. On the other hand, Subordinated CMBS typically subject the holder to greater risk than senior CMBS and tend to be rated in a lower rating category (frequently a substantially lower rating category) than the senior CMBS issued in respect of the same mortgage pool. Subordinated CMBS generally are likely to be more sensitive to changes in prepayment and interest rates and the market for such securities may be less liquid than is the case for traditional income securities and senior CMBS.

CMO Risk. There are certain risks associated specifically with CMOs. CMOs are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities. The average life of a CMO is determined using mathematical models that incorporate prepayment assumptions and other factors that involve estimates of future economic and market conditions. Actual future results may vary from these estimates, particularly during periods of extreme market volatility. Further, under certain market conditions, such as those that occurred during the recent downturn in the mortgage markets, the weighted average life of certain CMOs may not accurately reflect the price volatility of such securities. For example, in periods of supply and demand imbalances in the market for such securities and/or in periods of sharp interest rate movements, the prices of CMOs may fluctuate to a greater extent than would be expected from interest rate movements alone. CMOs issued by private entities are not obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities and are not guaranteed by any government agency, although the securities underlying a CMO may be subject to a guarantee. Therefore, if the collateral securing the CMO, as well as any third party credit support or guarantees, is insufficient to make payments when due, the holder could sustain a loss.

Inverse floating rate CMOs are typically more volatile than fixed or floating rate tranches of CMOs. Many inverse floating rate CMOs have coupons that move inversely to a multiple of an index. The effect of the coupon varying inversely to a multiple of an applicable index creates a leverage factor. Inverse floaters based on multiples of a stated index are designed to be highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and can subject the holders thereof to extreme reductions of yield and loss of principal. The market for inverse floating rate CMOs with highly leveraged characteristics at times may be very thin. The Trust’s ability to dispose of its positions in such securities will depend on the degree of liquidity in the markets for such securities. It is impossible to predict the amount of trading interest that may exist in such securities, and therefore the future degree of liquidity.

The Trust may also invest in REMICs, which are CMOs that qualify for special tax treatment under the Code and invest in certain mortgages principally secured by interests in real property and other permitted investments.

Credit Risk Associated With Originators and Servicers of Mortgage Loans. A number of originators and servicers of residential and commercial mortgage loans, including some of the largest originators and servicers in the residential and commercial mortgage loan market, have experienced serious financial difficulties, including some that are now or were subject to federal insolvency proceedings. These difficulties have resulted from many factors, including increased competition among originators for borrowers, decreased originations by such originators of mortgage loans and increased delinquencies and defaults on such mortgage loans, as well as from increases in claims for repurchases of mortgage loans previously sold by them under agreements that require repurchase in the event of breaches of representations regarding loan quality and characteristics. Such difficulties may affect the performance of MBS backed by mortgage loans. Furthermore, the inability of the originator to repurchase such mortgage loans in the event of loan representation breaches or the servicer to repurchase such mortgage loans upon a breach of its servicing obligations also may affect the performance of related MBS. Delinquencies and losses on,

and, in some cases, claims for repurchase by the originator of, mortgage loans originated by some mortgage lenders have recently increased as a result of inadequate underwriting procedures and policies, including inadequate due diligence, failure to comply with predatory and other lending laws and, particularly in the case of any “no documentation” or “limited documentation” mortgage loans that may support non-agency RMBS, inadequate verification of income and employment history. Delinquencies and losses on, and claims for repurchase of, mortgage loans originated by some mortgage lenders have also resulted from fraudulent activities of borrowers, lenders, appraisers, and other residential mortgage industry participants such as mortgage brokers, including misstatements of income and employment history, identity theft and overstatements of the appraised value of mortgaged properties. Many of these originators and servicers are very highly leveraged. These difficulties may also increase the chances that these entities may default on their warehousing or other credit lines or become insolvent or bankrupt and thereby increase the likelihood that repurchase obligations will not be fulfilled and the potential for loss to holders of non-agency MBS and subordinated security holders.

The servicers of non-agency MBS are often the same entities as, or affiliates of, the originators of these mortgage loans. Accordingly, the financial risks relating to originators of MBS described immediately above also may affect the servicing of MBS. In the case of such servicers, and other servicers, financial difficulties may have a negative effect on the ability of servicers to pursue collection on mortgage loans that are experiencing increased delinquencies and defaults and to maximize recoveries on sale of underlying properties following foreclosure. In recent years, a number of lenders specializing in residential mortgages have sought bankruptcy protection, shut down or been refused further financings from their lenders.

MBS typically provide that the servicer is required to make advances in respect of delinquent mortgage loans. However, servicers experiencing financial difficulties may not be able to perform these obligations or obligations that they may have to other parties of transactions involving these securities. Like originators, these entities are typically very highly leveraged. Such difficulties may cause servicers to default under their financing arrangements. In certain cases, such entities may be forced to seek bankruptcy protection. Due to the application of the provisions of bankruptcy law, servicers who have sought bankruptcy protection may not be required to advance such amounts. Even if a servicer were able to advance amounts in respect of delinquent mortgage loans, its obligation to make such advances may be limited to the extent that it does not expect to recover such advances due to the deteriorating credit of the delinquent mortgage loans or declining value of the related mortgaged properties. Moreover, servicers may overadvance against a particular mortgage loan or charge too many costs of resolution or foreclosure of a mortgage loan to a securitization, which could increase the potential losses to holders of MBS. In such transactions, a servicer’s obligation to make such advances may also be limited to the amount of its servicing fee. In addition, if an issue of MBS provides for interest on advances made by the servicer, in the event that foreclosure proceeds or payments by borrowers are not sufficient to cover such interest, such interest will be paid to the servicer from available collections or other mortgage income, thereby reducing distributions made on the MBS and, in the case of senior-subordinated MBS described below, first from distributions that would otherwise be made on the most subordinated MBS of such issue. Any such financial difficulties may increase the possibility of a servicer termination and the need for a transfer of servicing and any such liabilities or inability to assess such liabilities may increase the difficulties and costs in affecting such transfer and the potential loss, through the allocation of such increased cost of such transfer, to subordinated security holders.

There can be no assurance that originators and servicers of mortgage loans will not continue to experience serious financial difficulties or experience such difficulties in the future, including becoming subject to bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, or that underwriting procedures and policies and protections against fraud will be sufficient in the future to prevent such financial difficulties or significant levels of default or delinquency on mortgage loans. Because the recent financial difficulties experienced by such originators and servicers is unprecedented and unpredictable, the past performance of the residential and commercial mortgage loans originated and serviced by them (and the corresponding performance of the related MBS) is not a reliable indicator of the future performance of such residential mortgage loans (or the related MBS).

In some cases, servicers of MBS have been the subject of legal proceedings involving the origination and/or servicing practices of such servicers. Large groups of private litigants and states’ attorneys general have brought such proceedings. Because of the large volume of mortgage loans originated and serviced by such servicers, such litigation can cause heightened financial strain on servicers. In other cases, origination and servicing practices may cause or contribute to such strain, because of representation and warranty repurchase liability arising in MBS and

mortgage loan sale transactions. Any such financial strain could cause servicers to service below required standards, causing delinquencies and losses in any related MBS transaction to rise, and in extreme cases could cause the servicer to seek the protection of any applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law. In any such proceeding, it is unclear whether the fees that the servicer charges in such transactions would be sufficient to permit that servicer or a successor servicer to service the mortgage loans in such transaction adequately. If such fees had to be increased, it is likely that the most subordinated security holders in such transactions would be effectively required to pay such increased fees. Finally, these entities may be the subject of future laws designed to protect consumers from defaulting on their mortgage loans. Such laws may have an adverse effect on the cash flows paid under such MBS.

In addition, certain lenders who service and/or issue MBS have recently announced that they are being investigated by or have received information requests from U.S. federal and/or state authorities, including the SEC. As a result of such investigations and other similar investigations and general concerns about the adequacy or accuracy of disclosure of risks to borrowers and their understanding of such risks, U.S. financial regulators have recently indicated that they may propose new guidelines for the mortgage industry. Guidelines, if introduced, together with the other factors described herein, may make it more difficult for borrowers with weaker credit to refinance, which may lead to further increases in delinquencies, extensions in duration and losses in mortgage related assets.

Additional Risks of Mortgage Related Securities. Additional risks associated with investments in MBS include:

Interest Rate Risk. In addition to the interest rate risks described above, certain MBS may be subject to additional risks as the rate of interest payable on certain MBS may be set or effectively capped at the weighted average net coupon of the underlying mortgage loans themselves, often referred to as an “available funds cap.” As a result of this cap, the return to the holder of such MBS is dependent on the relative timing and rate of delinquencies and prepayments of mortgage loans bearing a higher rate of interest. In general, early prepayments will have a greater negative impact on the yield to the holder of such MBS.

Structural Risk. Because MBS generally are ownership or participation interests in pools of mortgage loans secured by a pool of properties underlying the mortgage loan pool, the MBS are entitled to payments provided for in the underlying agreement only when and if funds are generated by the underlying mortgage loan pool. This likelihood of the return of interest and principal may be assessed as a credit matter. However, the holders of MBS do not have the legal status of secured creditors, and cannot accelerate a claim for payment on their securities, or force a sale of the mortgage loan pool in the event that insufficient funds exist to pay such amounts on any date designated for such payment. The holders of MBS do not typically have any right to remove a servicer solely as a result of a failure of the mortgage pool to perform as expected.

Subordination Risk. MBS may be subordinated to one or more other senior classes of securities of the same series for purposes of, among other things, offsetting losses and other shortfalls with respect to the related underlying mortgage loans. For example, in the case of certain MBS, no distributions of principal will generally be made with respect to any class until the aggregate principal balances of the corresponding senior classes of securities have been reduced to zero. As a result, MBS may be more sensitive to risk of loss, writedowns, the non-fulfillment of repurchase obligations, overadvancing on a pool of loans and the costs of transferring servicing than senior classes of securities.

Prepayment, Extension and Redemption Risks. MBS may reflect an interest in monthly payments made by the borrowers who receive the underlying mortgage loans. Although the underlying mortgage loans are for specified periods of time, such as 20 or 30 years, the borrowers can, and historically have paid them off sooner. When a prepayment happens, a portion of the MBS which represents an interest in the underlying mortgage loan will be prepaid. A borrower is more likely to prepay a mortgage which bears a relatively high rate of interest. This means that in times of declining interest rates, a portion of the Trust’s higher yielding securities are likely to be redeemed and the Trust will probably be unable to replace them with securities having as great a yield. In addition to reductions in the level of market interest rates and the prepayment provisions of the mortgage loans, repayments on the residential mortgage loans underlying an issue of RMBS may also be affected by a variety of economic, geographic and other factors, including the size difference between the interest rates on the underlying residential mortgage loans (giving consideration to the cost of refinancing) and prevailing mortgage rates and the availability of refinancing. Prepayments can result in lower yields to shareholders. The increased likelihood of prepayment when interest rates decline also limits market price appreciation of MBS. This is known as prepayment risk.

Except in the case of certain types of RMBS, the mortgage loans underlying RMBS generally do not contain prepayment penalties and a reduction in market interest rates will increase the likelihood of prepayments on the related RMBS. In the case of certain home equity loan securities and certain types of RMBS, even though the underlying mortgage loans often contain prepayment premiums, such prepayment premiums may not be sufficient to discourage borrowers from prepaying their mortgage loans in the event of a reduction in market interest rates, resulting in a reduction in the yield to maturity for holders of the related RMBS. RMBS typically contain provisions that require repurchase of mortgage loans by the originator or other seller in the event of a breach of a representation or warranty regarding loan quality and characteristics of such loan. Any repurchase of a mortgage loan as a result of a breach has the same effect on the yield received on the related issue of RMBS as a prepayment of such mortgage loan. Any increase in breaches of representations and the consequent repurchases of mortgage loans that result from inadequate underwriting procedures and policies and protections against fraud will have the same effect on the yield on the related RMBS as an increase in prepayment rates.

Risk of prepayment may be reduced for commercial real estate property loans containing significant prepayment penalties or prohibitions on principal payments for a period of time following origination.

MBS also are subject to extension risk. Extension risk is the possibility that rising interest rates may cause prepayments to occur at a slower than expected rate. This particular risk may effectively change a security which was considered short or intermediate term into a long-term security. The values of long-term securities generally fluctuate more widely in response to changes in interest rates than short or intermediate-term securities.

In addition, MBS may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer. If a MBS held by the Trust is called for redemption, the Trust will be required to permit the issuer to redeem or “pay-off” the security, which could have an adverse effect on the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objectives.

Spread Widening Risk. The prices of MBS may decline substantially, for reasons that may not be attributable to any of the other risks described in the prospectus and this SAI. In particular, purchasing assets at what may appear to be “undervalued” levels is no guarantee that these assets will not be trading at even more “undervalued” levels at a time of valuation or at the time of sale. It may not be possible to predict, or to protect against, such “spread widening” risk.

Illiquidity Risk. The liquidity of MBS varies by type of security; at certain times the Trust may encounter difficulty in disposing of such investments. Because MBS have the potential to be less liquid than other securities, the Trust may be more susceptible to illiquidity risk than funds that invest in other securities. In the past, in stressed markets, certain types of MBS suffered periods of illiquidity when disfavored by the market. Due to increased instability in the credit markets, the market for some MBS has experienced reduced liquidity and greater volatility with respect to the value of such securities, making it more difficult to value such securities.

ABS involve certain risks in addition to those presented by MBS. There is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities. Relative to MBS, ABS may provide the Trust with a less effective security interest in the underlying collateral and are more dependent on the borrower’s ability to pay. If many borrowers on the underlying loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and result in losses to investors in an ABS transaction. Finally, ABS have structure risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most ABS are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include a significant rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level or the bankruptcy of the originator. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments (after expenses are paid) are used to pay investors as quickly as possible based upon a predetermined priority of payment.

The collateral underlying ABS may constitute assets related to a wide range of industries and sectors, such as credit card and automobile receivables. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. The Credit CARD Act of 2009 imposes new regulations on the ability of credit card issuers to adjust the interest rates and exercise various other rights with

respect to indebtedness extended through credit cards. The Trust and the Advisor cannot predict what effect, if any, such regulations might have on the market for ABS and such regulations may adversely affect the value of ABS owned by the Trust. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the related automobile receivables. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws, the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have an effective security interest in all of the obligations backing such receivables. If the economy of the United States deteriorates, defaults on securities backed by credit card, automobile and other receivables may increase, which may adversely affect the value of any ABS owned by Trust. There is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities. In recent years, certain automobile manufacturers have been granted access to emergency loans from the U.S. Government and have experienced bankruptcy. As a result of these events, the value of securities backed by receivables from the sale or lease of automobiles may be adversely affected.

Some ABS, particularly home equity loan transactions, are subject to interest rate risk and prepayment risk. A change in interest rates can affect the pace of payments on the underlying loans, which in turn, affects total return on the securities.

The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO in which the Trust invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities laws. However, an active dealer market may exist for CDOs, allowing a CDO to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed-income securities and ABS generally discussed elsewhere in this Prospectus, 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 Trust 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 Trust 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.

The Trust’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks such as credit risk, leverage risk, illiquidity risk, correlation risk and index risk as described below:

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Trust 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 Trust’s hedging transactions will be effective. The Trust could also suffer losses related to its derivative positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. The Advisor may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Trust’s derivatives positions to lose value. In addition, 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 Trust to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Trust to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Trust to value accurately.

When engaging in a hedging transaction, the Trust may determine not to seek to establish a perfect correlation between the hedging instruments utilized and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Such an imperfect correlation may prevent the Trust from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Trust to a risk of loss. The Trust may also determine not to hedge against a particular risk because it does not regard the probability of the risk occurring to be sufficiently high as to justify the cost of the hedge or because it does not foresee the occurrence of the risk. It may not be possible for the Trust to hedge against a change or event at attractive prices or at a price sufficient to protect the assets of the Trust from the decline in value of the portfolio positions anticipated as a result of such change. The Trust may also be restricted in its ability to effectively manage the portion of its assets that are segregated or earmarked to cover its obligations. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge at all against certain risks.

If the Trust invests in a derivative instrument it could lose more than the principal amount invested. Moreover, derivatives raise certain tax, legal, regulatory and accounting issues that may not be presented by investments in securities, and there is some risk that certain issues could be resolved in a manner that could adversely impact the performance of the Trust.

The Trust is not required to use derivatives or other portfolio strategies to seek to increase return or to seek to hedge its portfolio and may choose not to do so. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Trust will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial. Although the Advisor seeks to use derivatives to further the Trust’s investment objectives, there is no assurance that the use of derivatives will achieve this result.

Options Risk. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and indexes. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. In addition, a liquid secondary market for particular options, whether traded OTC or on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), separate trading boards of a securities exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (an “Exchange”) may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an Exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an Exchange; the facilities of an Exchange or the OCC may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or one or more Exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that Exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by the OCC as a result of trades on that Exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

Futures Transactions and Options Risk. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options are (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Trust and the price of the futures contract or option; (b) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close a futures contract when desired; (c) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (d) the Advisor’s inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; and (e) the possibility that the counterparty will default in the performance of its obligations.

Investment in futures contracts involves the risk of imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures contract and the price of the security being hedged. The hedge will not be fully effective when there is imperfect correlation between the movements in the prices of two financial instruments. For example, if the price of the futures contract moves more or less than the price of the hedged security, the Trust will experience either a loss or gain on the futures contract which is not completely offset by movements in the price of the hedged securities. To compensate for imperfect correlations, the Trust may purchase or sell futures contracts in a greater dollar amount than the hedged securities if the volatility of the hedged securities is historically greater than the volatility of the futures contracts. Conversely, the Trust may purchase or sell fewer futures contracts if the volatility of the price of the hedged securities is historically lower than that of the futures contracts.

The particular securities comprising the index underlying a securities index financial futures contract may vary from the securities held by the Trust. As a result, the Trust’s ability to hedge effectively all or a portion of the value of its securities through the use of such financial futures contracts will depend in part on the degree to which price movements in the index underlying the financial futures contract correlate with the price movements of the securities held by the Trust. The correlation may be affected by disparities in the average maturity, ratings, geographical mix or structure of the Trust’s investments as compared to those comprising the securities index and general economic or political factors. In addition, the correlation between movements in the value of the securities index may be subject to change over time as additions to and deletions from the securities index alter its structure. The correlation between futures contracts on U.S. Government securities and the securities held by the Trust may be adversely affected by similar factors and the risk of imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of such futures contracts and the prices of securities held by the Trust may be greater. The trading of futures contracts also is subject to certain market risks, such as inadequate trading activity, which could at times make it difficult or impossible to liquidate existing positions.

The Trust may liquidate futures contracts it enters into through offsetting transactions on the applicable contract market. There can be no assurance, however, that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close out a futures position. In the event of adverse price movements, the Trust would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin. In such situations, if the Trust has insufficient cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities to meet daily variation margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close out futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the Trust’s ability to hedge effectively its investments in securities. The liquidity of a secondary market in a futures contract may be adversely affected by “daily price fluctuation limits” established by commodity exchanges which limit the amount of fluctuation in a futures contract price during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in the contract, no trades may be entered into at a price beyond the limit, thus preventing the liquidation of open futures positions. Prices have in the past moved beyond the daily limit on a number of consecutive trading days.

The successful use of transactions in futures and related options also depends on the ability of the Advisor to forecast correctly the direction and extent of interest rate movements within a given time frame. To the extent interest rates remain stable during the period in which a futures contract or option is held by the Trust or such rates move in a direction opposite to that anticipated, the Trust may realize a loss on the Strategic Transaction which is not fully or partially offset by an increase in the value of portfolio securities. As a result, the Trust’s total return for such period may be less than if it had not engaged in the Strategic Transaction.

Because of low initial margin deposits made upon the opening of a futures position, futures transactions involve substantial leverage. As a result, relatively small movements in the price of the futures contracts can result in substantial unrealized gains or losses. There is also the risk of loss by the Trust of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with which the Trust has an open position in a financial futures contract. Because the Trust may engage in the purchase and sale of futures contracts for hedging purposes or to seek to enhance the Trust’s return, any losses incurred in connection therewith may, if the strategy is successful, be offset in whole or in part by increases in the value of securities held by the Trust or decreases in the price of securities the Trust intends to acquire.

The amount of risk the Trust assumes when it purchases an option on a futures contract is the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. In addition to the correlation risks discussed above, the purchase of an option on a futures contract also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased.

General Risk Factors in Hedging Foreign Currency. Hedging transactions involving Currency Instruments involve substantial risks, including correlation risk. While the Trust’s use of Currency Instruments to effect hedging strategies is intended to reduce the volatility of the NAV of the Trust’s common shares, the NAV of the Trust’s common shares will fluctuate. Moreover, although Currency Instruments may be used with the intention of hedging against adverse currency movements, transactions in Currency Instruments involve the risk that anticipated currency

movements will not be accurately predicted and that the Trust’s hedging strategies will be ineffective. To the extent that the Trust hedges against anticipated currency movements that do not occur, the Trust may realize losses and decrease its total return as the result of its hedging transactions. Furthermore, the Trust will only engage in hedging activities from time to time and may not be engaging in hedging activities when movements in currency exchange rates occur.

It may not be possible for the Trust to hedge against currency exchange rate movements, even if correctly anticipated, in the event that (i) the currency exchange rate movement is so generally anticipated that the Trust is not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an effective price, or (ii) the currency exchange rate movement relates to a market with respect to which Currency Instruments are not available and it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging. The cost to the Trust of engaging in foreign currency transactions varies with such factors as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Since transactions in foreign currency exchange usually are conducted on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved.

Foreign Currency Forwards Risk. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts do not eliminate fluctuations in the value of Non-U.S. Securities (as defined in the prospectus) but rather allow the Trust to establish a fixed rate of exchange for a future point in time. This strategy can have the effect of reducing returns and minimizing opportunities for gain.

In connection with its trading in forward foreign currency contracts, the Trust will contract with a foreign or domestic bank, or foreign or domestic securities dealer, to make or take future delivery of a specified amount of a particular currency. There are no limitations on daily price moves in such forward contracts, and banks and dealers are not required to continue to make markets in such contracts. There have been periods during which certain banks or dealers have refused to quote prices for such forward contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which the bank or dealer is prepared to buy and that at which it is prepared to sell. Governmental imposition of credit controls might limit any such forward contract trading. With respect to its trading of forward contracts, if any, the Trust will be subject to the risk of bank or dealer failure and the inability of, or refusal by, a bank or dealer to perform with respect to such contracts. Any such default would deprive the Trust of any profit potential or force the Trust to cover its commitments for resale, if any, at the then market price and could result in a loss to the Trust.

The Trust may also engage in proxy hedging transactions to reduce the effect of currency fluctuations on the value of existing or anticipated holdings of portfolio securities. Proxy hedging is often used when the currency to which the Trust is exposed is difficult to hedge or to hedge against the dollar. Proxy hedging entails entering into a forward contract to sell a currency whose changes in value are generally considered to be linked to a currency or currencies in which some or all of the Trust’s securities are, or are expected to be, denominated, and to buy U.S. dollars. Proxy hedging involves some of the same risks and considerations as other transactions with similar instruments. Currency transactions can result in losses to the Trust if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree or in a direction that is not anticipated. In addition, there is the risk that the perceived linkage between various currencies may not be present or may not be present during the particular time that the Trust is engaging in proxy hedging. The Trust may also cross-hedge currencies by entering into forward contracts to sell one or more currencies that are expected to decline in value relative to other currencies to which the Trust has or in which the Trust expects to have portfolio exposure. For example, the Trust may hold both Canadian government bonds and Japanese government bonds, and the Advisor may believe that Canadian dollars will deteriorate against Japanese yen. The Trust would sell Canadian dollars to reduce its exposure to that currency and buy Japanese yen. This strategy would be a hedge against a decline in the value of Canadian dollars, although it would expose the Trust to declines in the value of the Japanese yen relative to the U.S. dollar.

Some of the forward non-U.S. currency contracts entered into by the Trust may be classified as non-deliverable forwards (“NDFs”). NDFs are cash-settled, short-term forward contracts that may be thinly traded or are denominated in non-convertible foreign currency, where the profit or loss at the time at the settlement date is calculated by taking the difference between the agreed upon exchange rate and the spot rate at the time of settlement, for an agreed upon notional amount of funds. All NDFs have a fixing date and a settlement date. The fixing date is the date at which the difference between the prevailing market exchange rate and the agreed upon exchange rate is calculated. The settlement date is the date by which the payment of the difference is due to the party

receiving payment. NDFs are commonly quoted for time periods of one month up to two years, and are normally quoted and settled in U.S. dollars. They are often used to gain exposure to and/or hedge exposure to foreign currencies that are not internationally traded.

Currency Futures Risk. The Trust may also seek to hedge against the decline in the value of a currency or to enhance returns through use of currency futures or options thereon. Currency futures are similar to forward foreign exchange transactions except that futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts while forward foreign exchange transactions are traded in the OTC market. Currency futures involve substantial currency risk, and also involve leverage risk.

Currency Options Risk. The Trust may also seek to hedge against the decline in the value of a currency or to enhance returns through the use of currency options. Currency options are similar to options on securities. For example, in consideration for an option premium the writer of a currency option is obligated to sell (in the case of a call option) or purchase (in the case of a put option) a specified amount of a specified currency on or before the expiration date for a specified amount of another currency. The Trust may engage in transactions in options on currencies either on exchanges or OTC markets. Currency options involve substantial currency risk, and may also involve credit, leverage or illiquidity risk.

Currency Swaps Risk. The Trust may enter into currency swaps. The Trust may also hedge portfolio positions through currency swaps, which are transactions in which one currency is simultaneously bought for a second currency on a spot basis and sold for the second currency on a forward basis. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the rights of the Trust and another party to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Currency swaps usually involve the delivery of the entire principal value of one designated currency in exchange for the other designated currency. Because currency swaps usually involve the delivery of the entire principal value of one designated currency in exchange for the other designated currency, the entire principal value of a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations.

Over-the-Counter Trading Risk. The derivative instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Trust may include instruments not traded on an exchange. The risk of nonperformance by the counterparty to an instrument may be greater than, and the ease with which the Trust can dispose of or enter into closing transactions with respect to an instrument may be less than, the risk associated with an exchange traded instrument. In addition, significant disparities may exist between “bid” and “asked” prices for derivative instruments that are not traded on an exchange. The absence of liquidity may make it difficult or impossible for the Trust to sell such instruments promptly at an acceptable price. Derivative instruments not traded on exchanges also are not subject to the same type of government regulation as exchange traded instruments, and many of the protections afforded to participants in a regulated environment may not be available in connection with the transactions. Because derivatives traded in OTC markets generally are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearing corporation and generally do not require payment of margin, to the extent that the Trust has unrealized gains in such instruments or has deposited collateral with its counterparties the Trust is at risk that its counterparties will become bankrupt or otherwise fail to honor its obligations.

Dodd-Frank Act Risk. Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) (the “Derivatives Title”) imposed a substantially new regulatory structure on derivatives markets, with particular emphasis on swaps and security-based swaps. This new regulatory framework covers a broad range of swap market participants, including banks, non-banks, credit unions, insurance companies, broker-dealers and investment advisers. Although the CFTC and the prudential regulators have adopted and implemented substantially all of the required regulations, the SEC has not yet implemented regulations governing security-based swaps. In October 2018, the SEC re-opened comments on its capital and margin requirements. Upon finalization of those rules together with the recordkeeping rules applicable in connection with security-based swaps and a compliance period (which has yet to be determined), the SEC requirements are expected to go into effect. As currently proposed, the SEC’s margin requirements for security-based swaps are substantially different from those applicable to swaps and margining requirements applicable to banks acting as counterparties for security-based swaps. These differences could result in additional costs to counterparties such as the Trust or constrict the size of the security-based swaps market. Current regulations for swaps require the mandatory central clearing and mandatory exchange trading of particular types of interest rate swaps and index credit default swaps (together, “Covered Swaps”). The Trust is required to clear its Covered Swaps through a clearing broker, which requires,

among other things, posting initial margin and variation margin to the Trust’s clearing broker in order to enter into and maintain positions in Covered Swaps. Covered Swaps generally are required to be executed through a swap execution facility (“SEF”), which can involve additional transaction fees.

Additionally, under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Trust 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 OTC swaps with the Trust. 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. The CFTC has not yet adopted capital requirements for swap dealers. As uncleared capital requirements for swap dealers and uncleared capital and margin requirements for security-based swaps have been and continue to be finalized and implemented, such requirements may make certain types of trades and/or trading strategies more costly or impermissible. There may be market dislocations due to uncertainty during the implementation period of any new regulation and the Advisor cannot know how the derivatives market will adjust to new regulations.

Legal and Regulatory Risk. At any time after the date hereof, legislation or additional regulations may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Trust. Changing approaches to regulation may have a negative impact on the securities in which the Trust invests. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Trust itself is regulated. There can be no assurance that future legislation, regulation or deregulation will not have a material adverse effect on the Trust or will not impair the ability of the Trust to achieve its investment objectives. In addition, as new rules and regulations resulting from the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act are implemented and new international capital and liquidity requirements are introduced under the Basel III Accords, the market may not react the way the Advisor expects. Whether the Trust achieves its investment objectives may depend on, among other things, whether the Advisor correctly forecasts market reactions to this and other legislation. In the event the Advisor incorrectly forecasts market reaction, the Trust may not achieve its investment objectives.

Although the Advisor intends to devote such time and effort to the business of the Trust as is reasonably necessary to perform its duties to the Trust, the services of the Advisor are not exclusive and the Advisor provides similar services to other investment companies and other clients and may engage in other activities.

The investment management agreement between the Advisor and the Trust (the “Investment Management Agreement”) also provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, the Advisor is not liable to the Trust or any of the Trust’s shareholders for any act or omission by the Advisor in the supervision or management of its respective investment activities or for any loss sustained by the Trust or the Trust’s shareholders and provides for indemnification by the Trust of the Advisor, its directors, officers, employees, agents and control persons for liabilities incurred by them in connection with their services to the Trust, subject to certain limitations and conditions.

The Investment Management Agreement provides for the Trust to pay a monthly management fee at an annual rate equal to [●]% of the average daily value of the Trust’s Managed Assets.

The Trust and the Advisor have entered into a fee waiver agreement (the “Fee Waiver Agreement”), pursuant to which the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Trust’s assets attributable to investments in any equity and fixed-income mutual funds and ETFs managed by the Advisor or its affiliates that have a contractual fee, through [●], and may be continued from year to year thereafter, provided that such continuance is specifically approved by the Advisor and the Trust (including by a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) (the “Independent Trustees”)). Neither the Advisor nor the Trust is obligated to extend the Fee Waiver Agreement. The Fee Waiver Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, only by the Trust (upon the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust), upon 90 days’ written notice by the Trust to the Advisor.

The Investment Management Agreement was approved by the sole common shareholder of the Trust as of [●], 2019. The Investment Management Agreement will continue in effect for a period of two years from its effective date, and if not sooner terminated, will continue in effect for successive periods of 12 months thereafter, provided that each continuance is specifically approved at least annually by both (1) the vote of a majority of the Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act) and (2) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Investment Management Agreement or “interested persons” (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act) of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Investment Management Agreement may be terminated as a whole at any time by the Trust, without the payment of any penalty, upon the vote of a majority of the Board or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or by the Advisor, on 60 days’ written notice by either party to the other which can be waived by the non-terminating party. The Investment Management Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its “assignment” (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder).

Prior to the public offering of the common shares, [●] (“[●]”), an affiliate of the Advisor, purchased common shares from the Trust in an amount satisfying the net worth requirements of Section 14(a) of the Investment Company Act, which requires the Trust to have a net worth of at least $100,000 prior to making a public offering. As of the date of this SAI, [●] owned [●]% of the Trust’s outstanding common shares and therefore may be deemed to control the Trust until such time as it owns less than [●]% of the Trust’s outstanding common shares, which is expected to occur upon the closing of this offering. The address of [●] is [●].[●] is organized under the laws of the State of Delaware and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc.

The Board has delegated the voting of proxies for the Trust’s securities to the Advisor pursuant to the Advisor’s proxy voting guidelines. Under these guidelines, the Advisor will vote proxies related to Trust securities in the best interests of the Trust and its shareholders. From time to time, a vote may present a conflict between the interests of the Trust’s shareholders, on the one hand, and those of the Advisor, or any affiliated person of the Trust or the Advisor, on the other. In such event, provided that the Advisor’s Equity Investment Policy Oversight Committee, or a sub-committee thereof (the “Oversight Committee”), is aware of the real or potential conflict, if the matter to be voted on represents a material, non-routine matter and if the Oversight Committee does not reasonably believe it is able to follow its general voting guidelines (or if the particular proxy matter is not addressed in the guidelines) and vote impartially, the Oversight Committee may retain an independent fiduciary to advise the Oversight Committee on how to vote or to cast votes on behalf of the Advisor’s clients. If the Advisor determines not to retain an independent fiduciary, or does not desire to follow the advice of such independent fiduciary, the Oversight Committee shall determine how to vote the proxy after consulting with the Advisor’s Portfolio Management Group and/or the Advisor’s Legal and Compliance Department and concluding that the vote cast is in its client’s best interest notwithstanding the conflict. A copy of the Closed-End Fund Proxy Voting Policy is included as Appendix B to this SAI. Information on how the Trust voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 will be available (i) at www.blackrock.com and (ii) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

The Trust and the Advisor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. These codes permit personnel subject to the codes to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Trust. These codes may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. These codes of ethics are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov), and copies of these codes may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

BlackRock, Inc. is independent in ownership and governance, with no single majority stockholder and a majority of independent directors. PNC (as defined below) is BlackRock, Inc.’s largest stockholder.

Subject to policies established by the Board, the Advisor is primarily responsible for the execution of the Trust’s portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. The Advisor does not execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but seeks to obtain the best net results for the Trust, taking into account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While the Advisor generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, the Trust does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and execution in particular transactions. Subject to applicable legal requirements, the Advisor may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to the Advisor and its clients, including the Trust. In return for such services, the Advisor may cause the Trust to pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if the Advisor determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.

In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio transactions, the Advisor seeks to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for the Trust, taking into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in which it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the transaction; (iii) the Advisor’s knowledge of the expected commission rates and spreads currently available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular security or instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the broker’s or dealer’s capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services provided; (viii) the reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) the Advisor’s knowledge of any actual or apparent operational problems of a broker or dealer.

Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act (“Section 28(e)”) permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions under certain conditions. Brokerage and research services include: (1) furnishing advice as to the value of securities, including pricing and appraisal advice, credit analysis, risk measurement analysis, performance and other analysis, as well as the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; (2) furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy, and the performance of accounts; and (3) effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental to securities transactions (such as clearance, settlement, and custody). The Advisor believes that access to independent investment research is beneficial to its investment decision-making processes and, therefore, to the Trust.

The Advisor may participate in client commission arrangements under which the Advisor may execute transactions through a broker-dealer and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to the Advisor. The Advisor believes that research services obtained through soft dollar or commission sharing arrangements enhance its investment decision-making capabilities, thereby increasing the prospects for higher investment returns. The Advisor will engage only in soft dollar or commission sharing transactions that comply with the requirements of Section 28(e). The Advisor regularly evaluates the soft dollar products and services utilized, as well as the overall soft dollar and commission sharing arrangements to ensure that trades are executed by firms that are regarded as best able to execute trades for client accounts, while at the same time providing access to the research and other services the Advisor views as impactful to its trading results.

The Advisor may utilize soft dollars and related services, including research (whether prepared by the broker-dealer or prepared by a third-party and provided to the Advisor by the broker-dealer) and execution or brokerage services within applicable rules and the Advisor’s policies to the extent that such permitted services do not compromise the Advisor’s ability to seek to obtain best execution. In this regard, the portfolio management investment and/or trading teams may consider a variety of factors, including the degree to which the broker-dealer: (a) provides access to company management; (b) provides access to their analysts; (c) provides meaningful/insightful research notes on companies or other potential investments; (d) facilitates calls on which meaningful or insightful ideas about

companies or potential investments are discussed; (e) facilitates conferences at which meaningful or insightful ideas about companies or potential investments are discussed; or (f) provides research tools such as market data, financial analysis, and other third party related research and brokerage tools that aid in the investment process.

Research-oriented services for which the Advisor might pay with Trust commissions may be in written form or through direct contact with individuals and may include information as to particular companies or industries and securities or groups of securities, as well as market, economic, or institutional advice and statistical information, political developments and technical market information that assists in the valuation of investments. Except as noted immediately below, research services furnished by brokers may be used in servicing some or all client accounts and not all services may be used in connection with the Trust or account that paid commissions to the broker providing such services. In some cases, research information received from brokers by investment company management personnel, or personnel principally responsible for the Advisor’s individually managed portfolios, is not necessarily shared by and between such personnel. Any investment advisory or other fees paid by the Trust to the Advisor are not reduced as a result of the Advisor’s receipt of research services. In some cases, the Advisor may receive a service from a broker that has both a “research” and a “non-research” use. When this occurs the Advisor makes a good faith allocation, under all the circumstances, between the research and non-research uses of the service. The percentage of the service that is used for research purposes may be paid for with client commissions, while the Advisor will use its own funds to pay for the percentage of the service that is used for non-research purposes. In making this good faith allocation, the Advisor faces a potential conflict of interest, but the Advisor believes that its allocation procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that it appropriately allocates the anticipated use of such services to their research and non-research uses.

Payments of commissions to brokers who are affiliated persons of the Trust will be made in accordance with Rule 17e-1 under the Investment Company Act.

From time to time, the Trust may purchase new issues of securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide the Advisor with research services. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the broker will provide research “credits” in these situations at a rate that is higher than that available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).

The Advisor does not consider sales of shares of the investment companies it advises as a factor in the selection of brokers or dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the Trust; however, whether or not a particular broker or dealer sells shares of the investment companies advised by the Advisor neither qualifies nor disqualifies such broker or dealer to execute transactions for those investment companies.

The Trust anticipates that its brokerage transactions involving foreign securities generally will be conducted primarily on the principal stock exchanges of the applicable country. Foreign equity securities may be held by the Trust in the form of depositary receipts, or other securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges, or traded in OTC markets in the United States or Europe, as the case may be. American Depositary Receipts, like other securities traded in the United States, will be subject to negotiated commission rates.

The Trust may invest in certain securities traded in the OTC market and intends to deal directly with the dealers who make a market in the particular securities, except in those circumstances in which better prices and execution are available elsewhere. Under the Investment Company Act, persons affiliated with the Trust and persons who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Trust as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained from the SEC. Since transactions in the OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Trust will not deal with affiliated persons in connection with such transactions. However, an affiliated person of the Trust may serve as its broker in OTC transactions conducted on an agency basis provided that, among other things, the fee or commission received by such affiliated broker is reasonable and fair compared to the fee or commission received by non-affiliated brokers in connection with comparable transactions.

OTC issues, including most fixed-income securities such as corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a “net” basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Trust will primarily engage in transactions with these dealers or deal directly with the issuer unless a better price or execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with respect to both foreign and domestic securities will generally include a “spread,” which is the difference between the prices at which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the dealer’s normal profit.

Purchases of money market instruments by the Trust are made from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Trust does not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.

Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. When securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid.

The Advisor may seek to obtain an undertaking from issuers of commercial paper or dealers selling commercial paper to consider the repurchase of such securities from the Trust prior to maturity at their original cost plus interest (sometimes adjusted to reflect the actual maturity of the securities), if it believes that the Trust’s anticipated need for liquidity makes such action desirable. Any such repurchase prior to maturity reduces the possibility that the Trust would incur a capital loss in liquidating commercial paper, especially if interest rates have risen since acquisition of such commercial paper.

Investment decisions for the Trust and for other investment accounts managed by the Advisor are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. The Advisor allocates investments among client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. A variety of factors will be considered in making such allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or strategies for particular accounts, including sector, industry, country or region and capitalization weightings, (ii) tax considerations of an account, (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account, (iv) supply or demand for a security at a given price level, (v) size of available investment, (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts, (vii) regulatory restrictions, (viii) minimum investment size of an account, (ix) relative size of account, and (x) such other factors as may be approved by the Advisor’s general counsel. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of another, (ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to the Advisor, (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client, (iv) to compensate a client for past services or benefits rendered to the Advisor or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to the Advisor, or (v) to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts.

Equity securities will generally be allocated among client accounts within the same investment mandate on a pro rata basis. This pro-rata allocation may result in the Trust receiving less of a particular security than if pro-ration had not occurred. All allocations of equity securities will be subject, where relevant, to share minimums established for accounts and compliance constraints.

Initial public offerings of securities may be over-subscribed and subsequently trade at a premium in the secondary market. When the Advisor is given an opportunity to invest in such an initial offering or “new” or “hot” issue, the supply of securities available for client accounts is often less than the amount of securities the accounts would otherwise take. In order to allocate these investments fairly and equitably among client accounts over time, each portfolio manager or a member of his or her respective investment team will indicate to the Advisor’s trading desk their level of interest in a particular offering with respect to eligible clients’ accounts for which that team is responsible. Initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities will be identified as eligible for particular client accounts that are managed by portfolio teams who have indicated interest in the offering based on market capitalization of the issuer of the security and the investment mandate of the client account and in the case of international equity securities, the country where the offering is taking place and the investment mandate of the client account. Generally, shares received during the initial public offering will be allocated among participating client accounts within each investment mandate on a pro rata basis. In situations where supply is too limited to be allocated among all accounts for which the investment is eligible, portfolio managers may rotate such investment

opportunities among one or more accounts so long as the rotation system provides for fair access for all client accounts over time. Other allocation methodologies that are considered by the Advisor to be fair and equitable to clients may be used as well.

Because different accounts may have differing investment objectives and policies, the Advisor may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For example, the Advisor may decide that it may be entirely appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of the Advisor or its affiliates during the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by the Advisor on behalf of one or more of its clients may decrease the market price of such security, adversely impacting other of the Advisor’s clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Trust or other clients or funds for which the Advisor or an affiliate act as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.

In certain instances, the Advisor may find it efficient for purposes of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate or “bunch” certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of its advisory accounts. In general, all contemporaneous trades for client accounts under management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be bunched in a single order if the trader believes the bunched trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower execution cost. The costs associated with a bunched order will be shared pro rata among the clients in the bunched order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled at several different prices through multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted. While in some cases this practice could have a detrimental effect upon the price or value of the security as far as the Trust is concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Trust. Transactions effected by the Advisor on behalf of more than one of its clients during the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the bunched order to the broker dealer that the trader has identified as being able to provide the best execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and bunched orders will be kept bunched only long enough to execute the order.

The Trust will not purchase securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which the Advisor or any affiliated person (as defined in the Investment Company Act) thereof is a member except pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board in accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the Investment Company Act. In no instance will portfolio securities be purchased from or sold to the Advisor or any affiliated person of the foregoing entities except as permitted by SEC exemptive order or by applicable law.

While the Trust generally does not expect to engage in trading for short-term gains, it will effect portfolio transactions without regard to any holding period if, in the Advisor’s judgment, such transactions are advisable in light of a change in circumstances of a particular company or within a particular industry or in general market, economic or financial conditions. The portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of the Trust’s annual sales or purchases of portfolio securities (exclusive of purchases or sales of U.S. Government Securities and all other securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less) by the monthly average value of the securities in the portfolio during the year. A high rate of portfolio turnover results in certain tax consequences, such as increased capital gain dividends and/or ordinary income dividends, and in correspondingly greater transaction costs in the form of dealer spreads and brokerage commissions, which are borne directly by the Trust.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”), through a subsidiary, has a significant economic interest in BlackRock, Inc., the parent of the Advisor. Certain activities of BlackRock, Inc., the Advisor and the other subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc. (collectively referred to in this section as “BlackRock”) and PNC and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to in this section as the “Entities”), and their respective directors, officers or employees, with respect to the Trust and/or other accounts managed by BlackRock or Entities, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.

BlackRock is one of the world’s largest asset management firms. PNC is a diversified financial services organization spanning the retail, business and corporate markets. BlackRock, PNC and their respective subsidiaries and each of their respective directors, officers and employees, including, in the case of BlackRock, the business units or entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business operations of the Trust, are engaged worldwide in businesses, including managing equities, fixed-income securities, cash and alternative investments, and banking and other financial services, and have interests other than that of managing the Trust. These are considerations of which investors in the Trust should be aware, and which may cause conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Trust and its shareholders. These businesses and interests include potential multiple advisory, transactional, financial and other relationships with, or interests in companies and interests in securities or other instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Trust.

BlackRock and the Entities have proprietary interests in, and may manage or advise with respect to, accounts or funds (including separate accounts and other funds and collective investment vehicles) that have investment objectives similar to those of the Trust and/or that engage in transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Trust. BlackRock and the Entities are also major participants in the global currency, equities, swap and fixed-income markets, in each case, for the accounts of clients and, in some cases, on a proprietary basis. As such, BlackRock and the Entities are or may be actively engaged in transactions in the same securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Trust invests. Such activities could affect the prices and availability of the securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Trust invests, which could have an adverse impact on the Trust’s performance. Such transactions, particularly in respect of most proprietary accounts or client accounts, will be executed independently of the Trust’s transactions and thus at prices or rates that may be more or less favorable than those obtained by the Trust.

When BlackRock seeks to purchase or sell the same assets for managed accounts, including the Trust, the assets actually purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a basis determined in its good faith discretion to be equitable. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the size or price of the assets purchased or sold for the Trust. In addition, transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BlackRock (or Entities) may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Trust, particularly, but not limited to, with respect to small capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur with respect to BlackRock-advised accounts when investment decisions regarding the Trust are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other accounts. When BlackRock implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for the Trust, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other factors could result in the Trust receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies could be increased or the Trust could otherwise be disadvantaged. BlackRock may, in certain cases, elect to implement internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause the Trust to be unable to engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for it to do so.

Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding the Trust may benefit other accounts managed by BlackRock. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by the Trust may impair the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) BlackRock or its other accounts or funds, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by the Trust may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) BlackRock or its other accounts or funds. In addition, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Trust may invest its assets in other funds advised by BlackRock, including funds that are managed by one or more of the same portfolio managers, which could result in conflicts of interest relating to asset allocation, timing of Trust purchases and redemptions, and increased remuneration and profitability for BlackRock and/or its personnel, including portfolio managers.

In certain circumstances, BlackRock, on behalf of the Trust, may seek to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BlackRock. BlackRock may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BlackRock clients (“cross trades”), including the Trust, if BlackRock believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party’s investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions which could limit BlackRock’s decision to engage in these transactions for the Trust. BlackRock may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions.

BlackRock and the Entities and their respective clients may pursue or enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which the Trust has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Trust. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of the Trust’s investments may be negatively impacted by the activities of BlackRock or the Entities or their respective clients, and transactions for the Trust may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.

The results of the Trust’s investment activities may differ significantly from the results achieved by BlackRock for its proprietary accounts or other accounts (including investment companies or collective investment vehicles) which it manages or advises. It is possible that one or more accounts managed or advised by BlackRock and such other accounts will achieve investment results that are substantially more or less favorable than the results achieved by the Trust. Moreover, it is possible that the Trust will sustain losses during periods in which one or more proprietary or other accounts managed or advised by BlackRock achieve significant profits. The opposite result is also possible.

From time to time, the Trust may be restricted from purchasing or selling securities, or from engaging in other investment activities because of regulatory, legal or contractual requirements applicable to BlackRock or one or more Entities or other accounts managed or advised by BlackRock or an Entity for clients worldwide, and/or the internal policies of BlackRock and the Entities designed to comply with such requirements. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when BlackRock will not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which BlackRock and/or one or more Entities are performing services or when position limits have been reached. For example, the investment activities of BlackRock for its proprietary accounts and accounts under its management may limit the investment opportunities for the Trust in certain emerging and other markets in which limitations are imposed upon the amount of investment, in the aggregate or in individual issuers, by affiliated foreign investors.

In connection with its management of the Trust, BlackRock may have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by BlackRock. BlackRock will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of the Trust in accordance with such analysis and models. In addition, BlackRock will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Trust and it is not anticipated that BlackRock will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Trust. The proprietary activities or portfolio strategies of BlackRock or the activities or strategies used for accounts managed by BlackRock or other client accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BlackRock in managing the Trust.

In addition, certain principals and certain employees of the Trust’s investment adviser are also principals or employees of other business units or entities within BlackRock. As a result, these principals and employees may have obligations to such other business units or entities or their clients and such obligations to other business units or entities or their clients may be a consideration of which investors in the Trust should be aware.

BlackRock may enter into transactions and invest in securities, instruments and currencies on behalf of the Trust in which clients of BlackRock or an Entity, or, to the extent permitted by the SEC and applicable law, BlackRock or an Entity, serves as the counterparty, principal or issuer. In such cases, such party’s interests in the transaction will be adverse to the interests of the Trust, and such party may have no incentive to assure that the Trust obtains the best possible prices or terms in connection with the transactions. In addition, the purchase, holding and sale of such investments by the Trust may enhance the profitability of BlackRock or an Entity.

BlackRock or one or more Entities may also create, write or issue derivatives for their clients, the underlying securities, currencies or instruments of which may be those in which the Trust invests or which may be based on the performance of the Trust. BlackRock has entered into an arrangement with Markit Indices Limited, the index provider for underlying fixed-income indexes used by certain iShares ETFs, related to derivative fixed-income products that are based on such iShares ETFs. In connection with these products, BlackRock will receive certain payments for licensing intellectual property belonging to BlackRock and for facilitating provision of data in connection with such derivative products, which may include payments based on the trading volumes of, or

revenues generated by, such products. The Trust and other accounts managed by BlackRock may transact in such products where permitted by the Trust’s investment strategy. These transactions could contribute to the viability of such products, potentially leading to increased payments to BlackRock, as well as greater liquidity for such products, increased purchase activity with respect to the applicable iShares ETFs and increased assets under management for BlackRock.

The Trust may, subject to applicable law, purchase investments that are the subject of an underwriting or other distribution by BlackRock or one or more Entities and may also enter into transactions with other clients of BlackRock or an Entity where such other clients have interests adverse to those of the Trust.

At times, these activities may cause business units or entities within BlackRock or an Entity to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of the Trust. To the extent such transactions are permitted, the Trust will deal with BlackRock and/or Entities on an arms-length basis.

To the extent authorized by applicable law, BlackRock or one or more Entities may act as broker, dealer, agent, lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for the Trust. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees, brokerage fees, other fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by BlackRock or an Entity will be in its view commercially reasonable, although BlackRock and each Entity, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and other amounts that are favorable to BlackRock or the Entity and such sales personnel, which may have an adverse effect on the Trust.

Subject to applicable law, BlackRock and the Entities (and their personnel and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Trust as broker, dealer, agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities. No accounting to the Trust or its shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Trust or its shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by BlackRock or an Entity of any such fees or other amounts.

When BlackRock or an Entity acts as broker, dealer, agent, adviser or in other commercial capacities in relation to the Trust, BlackRock or the Entity may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Trust. The Trust will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties based on the Trust’s own credit standing. BlackRock will not have any obligation to allow credit to be used in connection with the Trust’s establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the Trust’s counterparties will rely on the credit of BlackRock in evaluating the Trust’s creditworthiness.

BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BIM”), an affiliate of BlackRock, pursuant to SEC exemptive relief, acts as securities lending agent to, and receives a share of securities lending revenues from, the Trust. BIM may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of the cash collateral from securities lending. There are potential conflicts of interests in managing a securities lending program, including but not limited to: (i) BIM as securities lending agent may have an incentive to increase or decrease the amount of securities on loan or to lend particular securities in order to generate additional risk-adjusted revenue for BIM and its affiliates; and (ii) BIM as securities lending agent may have an incentive to allocate loans to clients that would provide more revenue to BIM. As described further below, BIM seeks to mitigate this conflict by providing its securities lending clients with equal lending opportunities over time in order to approximate pro-rata allocation.

As part of its securities lending program, BlackRock indemnifies certain clients and/or funds against a shortfall in collateral in the event of borrower default. BlackRock’s Risk and Quantitative Analytics Group (“RQA”) calculates, on a regular basis, BlackRock’s potential dollar exposure to the risk of collateral shortfall upon counterparty default (“shortfall risk”) under the securities lending program for both indemnified and non-indemnified clients. On a periodic basis, RQA also determines the maximum amount of potential indemnified shortfall risk arising from securities lending activities (“indemnification exposure limit”) and the maximum amount of counterparty-specific credit exposure (“credit limits”) BlackRock is willing to assume as well as the program’s operational complexity. RQA oversees the risk model that calculates projected shortfall values using loan-level factors such as loan and collateral type and market value as well as specific borrower counterparty credit characteristics. When necessary, RQA may further adjust other securities lending program attributes by restricting eligible collateral or reducing counterparty credit limits. As a result, the management of the indemnification exposure limit may affect the amount

of securities lending activity BlackRock may conduct at any given point in time and impact indemnified and non-indemnified clients by reducing the volume of lending opportunities for certain loans (including by asset type, collateral type and/or revenue profile).

BlackRock uses a predetermined systematic process in order to approximate pro-rata allocation over time. In order to allocate a loan to a portfolio: (i) BlackRock as a whole must have sufficient lending capacity pursuant to the various program limits (i.e. indemnification exposure limit and counterparty credit limits); (ii) the lending portfolio must hold the asset at the time a loan opportunity arrives; and (iii) the lending portfolio must also have enough inventory, either on its own or when aggregated with other portfolios into one single market delivery, to satisfy the loan request. In doing so, BlackRock seeks to provide equal lending opportunities for all portfolios, independent of whether BlackRock indemnifies the portfolio. Equal opportunities for lending portfolios does not guarantee equal outcomes. Specifically, short and long-term outcomes for individual clients may vary due to asset mix, asset/liability spreads on different securities, and the overall limits imposed by the firm.

Purchases and sales of securities and other assets for the Trust may be bunched or aggregated with orders for other BlackRock client accounts, including with accounts that pay different transaction costs solely due to the fact that they have different research payment arrangements. BlackRock, however, is not required to bunch or aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different accounts are made separately, or if they determine that bunching or aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.

Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Trust will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Trust. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Trust will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.

As discussed in the section entitled “Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage” in this SAI, BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may cause the Trust or account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer.

Subject to applicable law, BlackRock may select brokers (including, without limitation, certain Entities) that furnish BlackRock, the Trust, other BlackRock client accounts or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BlackRock’s view, appropriate assistance to BlackRock in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to futures, fixed-price offerings and OTC transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the extent permitted by law, research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and products.

Research or other services obtained in this manner may be used in servicing any or all of the Trust and other BlackRock client accounts, including in connection with BlackRock client accounts other than those that pay commissions to the broker relating to the research or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BlackRock client accounts relative to the Trust based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Trust and such other BlackRock client accounts. For example, research or other services that are paid for through one client’s commissions may not be used in managing that client’s account. In addition, other BlackRock client accounts may receive the benefit, including disproportionate benefits, of economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the Trust and to such other BlackRock client accounts. To the extent that BlackRock uses soft dollars, it will not have to pay for those products and services itself.

BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may endeavor to execute trades through brokers who, pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BlackRock believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BlackRock may from time to time choose not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer, including, where permitted, an Entity, and request that the broker-dealer

allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. To the extent that BlackRock engages in commission sharing arrangements, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist.

BlackRock may utilize certain electronic crossing networks (“ECNs”) (including, without limitation, ECNs in which BlackRock or an Entity has an investment or other interest, to the extent permitted by applicable law) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The transaction fees, which are similar to commissions or markups/markdowns, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and markups/markdowns, would generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be paid by BlackRock even though incurred in connection with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Trust. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BlackRock. BlackRock will only utilize ECNs consistent with its obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.

BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Trust, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BlackRock’s fiduciary obligations to its clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BlackRock may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BlackRock and/or an Entity, provided that BlackRock believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see Appendix B.

It is possible that the Trust may invest in securities of, or engage in transactions with, companies with which an Entity has developed or is trying to develop investment banking relationships as well as securities of entities in which BlackRock or an Entity has significant debt or equity investments or other interests or in which an Entity makes a market. The Trust may also invest in issuances (such as structured notes) by entities for which BlackRock provides and is compensated for cash management services relating to the proceeds from the sale of such issuances. The Trust also may invest in securities of, or engage in transactions with, companies to which an Entity provides or may in the future provide research coverage. Such investments or transactions could cause conflicts between the interests of the Trust and the interests of BlackRock, other clients of BlackRock or an Entity. In making investment decisions for the Trust, BlackRock is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any unit of BlackRock, in the course of these activities. In addition, from time to time, the activities of BlackRock or an Entity may limit the Trust’s flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. When an Entity is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of an entity, BlackRock may be prohibited from purchasing or recommending the purchase of certain securities of that entity for the Trust. As indicated below, BlackRock or an Entity may engage in transactions with companies in which BlackRock-advised funds or other clients of BlackRock or of an Entity have an investment.

BlackRock and Chubb Limited (“Chubb”), a public company whose securities are held by BlackRock-advised funds and other accounts, partially funded the creation of a re-insurance company (“Re Co”) pursuant to which each has approximately a 9.9% ownership interest and each has representation on the board of directors. Certain employees and executives of BlackRock have a less than 1/2 of 1% ownership interest in Re Co.

BlackRock manages the investment portfolio of Re Co, which is held in a wholly-owned subsidiary. Re Co participates as a reinsurer with reinsurance contracts underwritten by subsidiaries of Chubb. An independent director of certain BlackRock-advised funds also serves as an independent director of Chubb and has no interest or involvement in the Re Co transaction.

BlackRock may provide valuation assistance to certain clients with respect to certain securities or other investments and the valuation recommendations made for such clients’ accounts may differ from the valuations for the same securities or investments assigned by the Trust’s pricing vendors, especially if such valuations are based on broker-dealer quotes or other data sources unavailable to the Trust’s pricing vendors. While BlackRock will generally communicate its valuation information or determinations to the Trust’s pricing vendors and/or fund accountants, there may be instances where the Trust’s pricing vendors or fund accountants assign a different valuation to a security or other investment than the valuation for such security or investment determined or recommended by BlackRock.

As disclosed in more detail in “Net Asset Value” in the prospectus, when market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BlackRock to be unreliable, the Trust’s investments are valued at fair value by BlackRock, in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust’s Board of Trustees. When determining a “fair value price,” BlackRock seeks to determine the price that the Trust might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction. The price generally may not be determined based on what the Trust might reasonably expect to receive for selling an asset or liability at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that BlackRock deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Trust’s NAV. As a result, the Trust’s sale or repurchase of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by BlackRock (pursuant to Board-adopted procedures) at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and may affect the amount of revenue received by BlackRock with respect to services for which it receives an asset-based fee.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Trust may invest all or some of its short-term cash investments in any money market fund or similarly-managed private fund advised or managed by BlackRock. In connection with any such investments, the Trust, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act, may pay its share of expenses of a money market fund or other similarly-managed private fund in which it invests, which may result in the Trust bearing some additional expenses.

BlackRock and its directors, officers and employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of the Trust. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints, positions may be taken by directors, officers, and employees of BlackRock that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Trust. To lessen the possibility that the Trust will be adversely affected by this personal trading, the Trust and the Advisor each have adopted a Code of Ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the Investment Company Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally come into possession of information regarding the Trust’s portfolio transactions. Each Code of Ethics is also available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov.

BlackRock will not purchase securities or other property from, or sell securities or other property to, the Trust, except that the Trust may in accordance with rules or guidance adopted under the Investment Company Act engage in transactions with accounts that are affiliated with the Trust as a result of common officers, directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive orders granted to the Trust and/or BlackRock by the SEC. These transactions would be effected in circumstances in which BlackRock determined that it would be appropriate for the Trust to purchase and another client of BlackRock to sell, or the Trust to sell and another client of BlackRock to purchase, the same security or instrument on the same day. From time to time, the activities of the Trust may be restricted because of regulatory requirements applicable to BlackRock and/or BlackRock’s internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BlackRock would not be subject to some of those considerations. There may be periods when BlackRock may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit their advice in certain securities or instruments issued by or related to companies for which BlackRock or an Entity is performing investment banking, market making, advisory or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when BlackRock is engaged to provide advisory or risk management services for a company, BlackRock may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company on behalf of the Trust, particularly where such services result in BlackRock obtaining material non-public information about the company (e.g., in connection with participation in a creditors’ committee). Similar situations could arise if personnel of BlackRock serve as directors of companies the securities of which the Trust wishes to purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, and where consistent with BlackRock’s policies and procedures (including the necessary implementation of appropriate information barriers), the Trust may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies, are the subject of an underwriting, distribution, or advisory assignment by an Entity or are the subject of an advisory or risk management assignment by BlackRock, or where personnel of BlackRock are directors or officers of the issuer.

The investment activities of BlackRock for their proprietary accounts and for client accounts may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Trust. For example, in certain circumstances where the Trust invests in securities issued by companies that operate in certain regulated industries, in certain emerging or international markets, or are subject to corporate or regulatory ownership restrictions, or invest in certain futures and derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount invested by BlackRock for their proprietary accounts and for client accounts (including the Trust) that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent, or, if exceeded, may cause BlackRock, the Trust or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions. If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached or certain transactions undertaken, the ability of BlackRock on behalf of clients (including the Trust) to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired. As a result, BlackRock on behalf of its clients (including the Trust) may limit purchases, sell existing investments, or otherwise restrict, forgo or limit the exercise of rights (including transferring, outsourcing or limiting voting rights or forgoing the right to receive dividends) when BlackRock, in its sole discretion, deems it appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds.

In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or limitations must be observed, BlackRock seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients (including the Trust), taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. When ownership in certain securities nears an applicable threshold, BlackRock may limit purchases in such securities to the issuer’s weighting in the applicable benchmark used by BlackRock to manage the Trust. If client (including Trust) holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and BlackRock is unable to obtain relief to enable the continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to sell down these positions to meet the applicable limitations. In these cases, benchmark overweight positions will be sold prior to benchmark positions being reduced to meet applicable limitations.

In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BlackRock’s intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.

BlackRock may maintain securities indices. To the extent permitted by applicable laws, the Trust may seek to license and use such indices as part of their investment strategy. Index based funds that seek to track the performance of securities indices also may use the name of the index or index provider in the fund name. Index providers, including BlackRock (to the extent permitted by applicable law), may be paid licensing fees for use of their index or index name. BlackRock is not obligated to license its indices to the Trust and the Trust is under no obligation to use BlackRock indices. The Trust cannot be assured that the terms of any index licensing agreement with BlackRock will be as favorable as those terms offered to other licensees.

BlackRock may enter into contractual arrangements with third-party service providers to the Trust (e.g., custodians, administrators and index providers) pursuant to which BlackRock receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BlackRock’s overall relationship with such service providers. To the extent that BlackRock is responsible for paying these service providers out of its management fee, the benefits of any such fee discounts or concessions may accrue, in whole or in part, to BlackRock.

BlackRock owns or has an ownership interest in certain trading, portfolio management, operations and/or information systems used by Trust service providers. These systems are, or will be, used by the Trust service provider in connection with the provision of services to accounts managed by BlackRock and funds managed and sponsored by BlackRock, including the Trust, that engage the service provider (typically the custodian). The Trust’s service provider remunerates BlackRock for the use of the systems. The Trust’s service provider’s payments to BlackRock for the use of these systems may enhance the profitability of BlackRock.

BlackRock’s receipt of fees from a service provider in connection with the use of systems provided by BlackRock may create an incentive for BlackRock to recommend that the Trust enter into or renew an arrangement with the service provider.

The Trust from time to time may purchase in the secondary market (i) certain mortgage pass-through securities packaged and master serviced by PNC Mortgage Securities Corp. (“PNC Mortgage”) or Midland Loan Services,

Inc. (“Midland”), or (ii) mortgage-related securities containing loans or mortgages originated by PNC Bank, National Association (“PNC Bank”) or its affiliates. It is possible that under some circumstances, PNC Mortgage, Midland or other affiliates could have interests that are in conflict with the holders of these mortgage-backed securities, and such holders could have rights against PNC Mortgage, Midland or their affiliates. For example, if PNC Mortgage, Midland or their affiliates engaged in negligence or willful misconduct in carrying out its duties as a master servicer, then any holder of the mortgage-backed security could seek recourse against PNC Mortgage, Midland or their affiliates, as applicable. Also, as a master servicer, PNC Mortgage, Midland or their affiliates may make certain representations and warranties regarding the quality of the mortgages and properties underlying a mortgage-backed security. If one or more of those representations or warranties is false, then the holders of the mortgage-backed securities could trigger an obligation of PNC Mortgage, Midland or their affiliates, as applicable, to repurchase the mortgages from the issuing trust. Finally, PNC Mortgage, Midland or their affiliates may own securities that are subordinate to the senior mortgage-backed securities owned by the Trust.

Present and future activities of BlackRock (including BlackRock Advisors, LLC) and the Entities, and their respective directors, officers and employees, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.

The Trust intends to hold annual meetings of shareholders so long as the common shares are listed on a national securities exchange and such meetings are required as a condition to such listing.

The Trust currently does not intend to issue preferred shares. Although the terms of any preferred shares that the Trust might issue in the future, including dividend rate, liquidation preference and redemption provisions, will be determined by the Board, subject to applicable law and the Agreement and Declaration of Trust, it is likely that any such preferred shares issued would be structured to carry a relatively short-term dividend rate reflecting interest rates on short-term debt securities, by providing for the periodic redetermination of the dividend rate at relatively short intervals through a fixed spread or remarketing procedure, subject to a maximum rate which would increase over time in the event of an extended period of unsuccessful remarketing. The Trust also believes that it is likely that the liquidation preference, voting rights and redemption provisions of any such preferred shares would be similar to those stated below.

Liquidation Preference. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Trust, the holders of preferred shares will be entitled to receive a preferential liquidating distribution, which would be expected to equal the original purchase price per preferred share plus accrued and unpaid dividends, whether or not declared, before any distribution of assets is made to holders of common shares. After payment of the full amount of the liquidating distribution to which they are entitled, the holders of preferred shares would not be entitled to any further participation in any distribution of assets by the Trust.

Voting Rights. The Investment Company Act requires that the holders of any preferred shares, voting separately as a single class, have the right to elect at least two Trustees at all times. The remaining Trustees will be elected by holders of common shares and preferred shares, voting together as a single class. In addition, subject to the prior rights, if any, of the holders of any other class of senior securities outstanding, the holders of any preferred shares have the right to elect a majority of the Trustees at any time two years’ dividends on any preferred shares are unpaid. The Investment Company Act also requires that, in addition to any approval by shareholders that might otherwise be required, the approval of the holders of a majority of any outstanding preferred shares, voting separately as a class, would be required to (1) adopt any plan of reorganization that would adversely affect the preferred shares, and (2) take any action requiring a vote of security holders under Section 13(a) of the Investment Company Act, including, among other things, changes in the Trust’s sub-classification as a closed-end investment company or changes in its fundamental investment restrictions. See “Certain Provisions in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws” in the prospectus. As a result of these voting rights, the Trust’s ability to take any such actions may be

impeded to the extent that there are any preferred shares outstanding. The Board presently intends that, except as otherwise indicated in the prospectus or this SAI and except as otherwise required by applicable law, holders of any preferred shares will have equal voting rights with holders of common shares (one vote per share, unless otherwise required by the Investment Company Act) and will vote together with holders of common shares as a single class.

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of any outstanding preferred shares, voting as a separate class, would be required to amend, alter or repeal any of the preferences, rights or powers of holders of preferred shares so as to affect materially and adversely such preferences, rights or powers, or to increase or decrease the authorized number of preferred shares. The class vote of holders of preferred shares described above would in each case be in addition to any other vote required to authorize the action in question.

Redemption, Purchase and Sale of Preferred Shares by the Trust. The terms of any preferred shares are expected to provide that (1) they are redeemable by the Trust in whole or in part at the original purchase price per share plus accrued dividends per share, (2) the Trust may tender for or purchase preferred shares and (3) the Trust may subsequently resell any shares so tendered for or purchased. Any redemption or purchase of preferred shares by the Trust would reduce the leverage applicable to the common shares, while any resale of shares by the Trust would increase that leverage.

Liquidity Feature. Preferred shares may include a liquidity feature that allows holders of preferred shares to have their shares purchased by a liquidity provider in the event that sell orders have not been matched with purchase orders and successfully settled in a remarketing. The Trust would pay a fee to the provider of this liquidity feature, which would be borne by common shareholders of the Trust. The terms of such liquidity feature may require the Trust to redeem preferred shares still owned by the liquidity provider following a certain period of continuous, unsuccessful remarketing, which may adversely impact the Trust.

The discussion above describes the possible offering of preferred shares by the Trust. If the Board determines to proceed with such an offering, the terms of the preferred shares may be the same as, or different from, the terms described above, subject to applicable law and the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust. The Board, without the approval of the holders of common shares, may authorize an offering of preferred shares or may determine not to authorize such an offering, and may fix the terms of the preferred shares to be offered.

The Board (subject to applicable law and the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust) may authorize an offering, without the approval of the holders of common shares and, depending on their terms, any preferred shares outstanding at that time, of other classes of shares, or other classes or series of shares, as they determine to be necessary, desirable or appropriate, having such terms, rights, preferences, privileges, limitations and restrictions as the Board sees fit. The Trust currently does not expect to issue any other classes of shares, or series of shares, except for the common shares.

The Trust is a closed-end management investment company and as such its shareholders will not have the right to cause the Trust to redeem their shares. Instead, the Trust’s common shares will trade in the open market at a price that will be a function of several factors, including dividend levels (which are in turn affected by expenses), NAV, call protection for portfolio securities, dividend stability, liquidity, relative demand for and supply of the common shares in the market, general market and economic conditions and other factors. Because shares of a closed-end investment company may frequently trade at prices lower than NAV, the Board may consider action that might be taken to reduce or eliminate any material discount from NAV in respect of common shares, which may include the repurchase of such shares in the open market or in private transactions, the making of a tender offer for such shares, or the conversion of the Trust to an open-end investment company. The Board may decide not to take any of these actions. In addition, there can be no assurance that share repurchases or tender offers, if undertaken, will reduce market discount.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time when the Trust has preferred shares outstanding, the Trust may not purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any of its common shares unless (1) all accrued preferred share dividends have been paid and (2) at the time of such purchase, redemption or acquisition, the NAV of the Trust’s portfolio (determined after deducting the acquisition price of the common shares) is at least 200% of the liquidation value of any outstanding preferred shares (expected to equal the original purchase price per share plus any accrued and unpaid dividends thereon). Any service fees incurred in connection with any tender offer (excluding the Eligible Tender Offer described in the prospectus) made by the Trust will be borne by the Trust and will not reduce the stated consideration to be paid to tendering shareholders.

Subject to its investment restrictions, the Trust may borrow to finance the repurchase of shares or to make a tender offer. Interest on any borrowings to finance share repurchase transactions or the accumulation of cash by the Trust in anticipation of share repurchases or tender offers will reduce the Trust’s net income. Any share repurchase, tender offer or borrowing that might be approved by the Board would have to comply with the Exchange Act, the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Although the decision to take action in response to a discount from NAV will be made by the Board at the time it considers such issue, it is the Board’s present policy, which may be changed by the Board, not to authorize repurchases of common shares or a tender offer for such shares if: (i) such transactions, if consummated, would (a) result in the delisting of the common shares from the NYSE, or (b) impair the Trust’s status as a RIC under the Code, (which would make the Trust a taxable entity, causing the Trust’s income to be taxed at the corporate level in addition to the taxation of shareholders who receive dividends from the Trust) or as a registered closed-end investment company under the Investment Company Act; (ii) the Trust would not be able to liquidate portfolio securities in an orderly manner and consistent with the Trust’s investment objectives and policies in order to repurchase shares; or (iii) there is, in the Board’s judgment, any (a) material legal action or proceeding instituted or threatened challenging such transactions or otherwise materially adversely affecting the Trust, (b) general suspension of or limitation on prices for trading securities on the NYSE, (c) declaration of a banking moratorium by federal or state authorities or any suspension of payment by United States or New York banks, (d) material limitation affecting the Trust or the issuers of its portfolio securities by federal or state authorities on the extension of credit by lending institutions or on the exchange of foreign currency, (e) commencement of war, armed hostilities or other international or national calamity directly or indirectly involving the United States, or (f) other event or condition which would have a material adverse effect (including any adverse tax effect) on the Trust or its shareholders if shares were repurchased. The Board may in the future modify these conditions in light of experience.

The repurchase by the Trust of its shares at prices below NAV will result in an increase in the NAV of those shares that remain outstanding. However, there can be no assurance that share repurchases or tender offers at or below NAV will result in the Trust’s common shares trading at a price equal to their NAV. Nevertheless, the fact that the Trust’s common shares may be the subject of repurchases or tender offers from time to time, or that the Trust may be converted to an open-end investment company, may reduce any spread between market price and NAV that might otherwise exist.

In addition, a purchase by the Trust of its common shares will decrease the Trust’s net assets which would likely have the effect of increasing the Trust’s expense ratio. Any purchase by the Trust of its common shares at a time when preferred shares are outstanding will increase the leverage applicable to the outstanding common shares then remaining.

Before deciding whether to take any action if the common shares trade below NAV (including approving the Eligible Tender Offer), the Board would likely consider all relevant factors, including the extent and duration of the discount, the liquidity of the Trust’s portfolio, the impact of any action that might be taken on the Trust or its shareholders and market considerations. Based on these considerations, even if the Trust’s common shares should trade at a discount, the Board may determine that, in the interest of the Trust and its shareholders, no action should be taken.

The following is a description of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences to a shareholder of acquiring, holding and disposing of common shares of the Trust. Except as otherwise noted, this discussion assumes you are a taxable U.S. holder (as defined below). This discussion is based upon current provisions of the Code, the regulations promulgated thereunder and judicial and administrative authorities, all of which are subject to change or differing interpretations by the courts or the IRS, possibly with retroactive effect. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. federal income tax concerns affecting the Trust and its shareholders, and the discussions set forth here do not constitute tax advice. This discussion assumes that investors hold common shares of the Trust as capital assets (generally, for investment). The Trust has not sought and will not seek any ruling from the IRS regarding any matters discussed herein. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to those set forth below. This summary does not discuss any aspects of foreign, state or local tax. Prospective investors must consult their own tax advisers as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences (including the alternative minimum tax consequences) of acquiring, holding and disposing of the Trust’s common shares, as well as the effects of state, local and non-U.S. tax laws.

In addition, no attempt is made to address tax considerations applicable to an investor with a special tax status, such as a financial institution, REIT, insurance company, regulated investment company, individual retirement account, other tax-exempt organization, dealer in securities or currencies, person holding shares of the Trust as part of a hedging, integrated, conversion or straddle transaction, trader in securities that has elected the mark-to-market method of accounting for its securities, U.S. holder (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, investor with “applicable financial statements” within the meaning of Section 451(b) of the Code, or non-U.S. investor. Furthermore, this discussion does not reflect possible application of the alternative minimum tax.

A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

The Trust intends to elect to be treated and to qualify to be taxed as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify as a RIC, the Trust must, among other things, satisfy certain requirements relating to the sources of its income, diversification of its assets, and distribution of its income to its shareholders. First, the Trust must derive at least 90% of its annual gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined in the Code) (the “90% gross income test”). Second, the Trust must diversify its holdings so that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the value of its total assets consists of cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Trust’s total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. Government securities and securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, any two or more issuers controlled by the Trust and engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or any one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships.”

The Code imposes a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the Trust to the extent the Trust does not distribute by the end of any calendar year at least the sum of (i) 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gain or loss) for the calendar year and (ii) 98.2% of its capital gain in excess of its capital loss (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for a one-year period generally ending on October 31 of the calendar year (unless an election is made to use the Trust’s fiscal year). In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any under-distribution or over-distribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. For purposes of the excise tax, the Trust will be deemed to have distributed any income on which it paid U.S. federal income tax. While the Trust intends to distribute any income and capital gain in the manner necessary to minimize imposition of the 4% nondeductible excise tax, there can be no assurance that sufficient amounts of the Trust’s taxable income and capital gain will be distributed to entirely avoid the imposition of the excise tax. In that event, the Trust will be liable for the excise tax only on the amount by which it does not meet the foregoing distribution requirement.

The remainder of this discussion assumes that the Trust qualifies for taxation as a RIC.

Certain of the Trust’s investment practices are subject to special and complex U.S. federal income tax provisions (including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale, short sale and other rules) that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gains or qualified dividend income into higher taxed short-term capital gains or ordinary income, (iii) convert ordinary loss or a deduction into capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (iv) cause the Trust to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur, (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions and (vii) produce income that will not be “qualified” income for purposes of the 90% annual gross income requirement described above. These U.S. federal income tax provisions could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to common shareholders. The Trust intends to monitor its transactions and may make certain tax elections and may be required to dispose of securities to mitigate the effect of these provisions and prevent disqualification of the Trust as a RIC. Additionally, the Trust may be required to limit its activities in derivative instruments in order to enable it to maintain its RIC status.

The Trust may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade securities, commonly known as “junk” securities. Investments in these types of securities may present special tax issues for the Trust. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Trust may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether modifications or exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues could affect the Trust’s ability to distribute sufficient income to preserve its status as a RIC or to avoid the imposition of U.S. federal income or excise tax.

If the Trust purchases a debt security on a secondary market at a price lower than its adjusted issue price, the excess of the adjusted issue price over the purchase price is “market discount.” Unless the Trust makes an election to accrue market discount on a current basis, generally, any gain realized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on the debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. If the Trust ultimately collects less on the debt instrument than its purchase price plus the market discount previously included in income, the Trust may not be able to benefit from any offsetting loss deductions.

Income from options on individual securities written by the Trust will generally not be recognized by the Trust for tax purposes until an option is exercised, lapses or is subject to a “closing transaction” (as defined by applicable regulations) pursuant to which the Trust’s obligations with respect to the option are otherwise terminated. If the

option lapses without exercise, the premiums received by the Trust from the writing of such options will generally be characterized as short-term capital gain. If the Trust enters into a closing transaction, the difference between the premiums received and the amount paid by the Trust to close out its position will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. If an option written by the Trust is exercised, thereby requiring the Trust to sell the underlying security, the premium will increase the amount realized upon the sale of the security, and the character of any gain on such sale of the underlying security as short-term or long-term capital gain will depend on the holding period of the Trust in the underlying security. Because the Trust will not have control over the exercise of the options it writes, such exercises or other required sales of the underlying securities may cause the Trust to realize gains or losses at inopportune times.

Options on indices of securities and sectors of securities that qualify as “section 1256 contracts” will generally be “marked-to-market” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Trust will generally recognize gain or loss on the last day of each taxable year equal to the difference between the value of the option on that date and the adjusted basis of the option. The adjusted basis of the option will consequently be increased by such gain or decreased by such loss. Any gain or loss with respect to options on indices and sectors that qualify as “section 1256 contracts” will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 40% of such gain or loss and long-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 60% of such gain or loss. Because the mark-to-market rules may cause the Trust to recognize gain in advance of the receipt of cash, the Trust may be required to dispose of investments in order to meet its distribution requirements. “Mark-to-market” losses may be suspended or otherwise limited if such losses are part of a straddle or similar transaction.

The price of common shares purchased at any time may reflect the amount of a forthcoming distribution. Those purchasing common shares just prior to the record date for a distribution will receive a distribution which will be taxable to them even though it represents, economically, a return of invested capital.

The Trust will send you information after the end of each year setting forth the amount and tax status of any distributions paid to you by the Trust.

If the Trust conducts a tender offer for its shares (as described in the prospectus), a repurchase by the Trust of a shareholder’s shares pursuant to such tender offer generally will be treated as a sale or exchange of the shares by a shareholder provided that either (i) the shareholder tenders, and the Trust repurchases, all of such shareholder’s shares, thereby reducing the shareholder’s percentage ownership of the Trust, whether directly or by attribution under Section 318 of the Code, to 0%, (ii) the shareholder meets numerical safe harbors under the Code with respect to percentage voting interest and reduction in ownership of the Trust following completion of the tender offer, or (iii) the tender offer otherwise results in a “meaningful reduction” of the shareholder’s ownership percentage interest in the Trust, which determination depends on a particular shareholder’s facts and circumstances.

If a tendering shareholder’s proportionate ownership of the Trust (determined after applying the ownership attribution rules under Section 318 of the Code) is not reduced to the extent required under the tests described above, such shareholder will be deemed to receive a distribution from the Trust under Section 301 of the Code with respect to the shares held (or deemed held under Section 318 of the Code) by the shareholder after the tender offer (a “Section 301 distribution”). The amount of this distribution will equal the price paid by the Trust to such shareholder for the shares sold, and will be taxable as a dividend, i.e., as ordinary income, to the extent of the Trust’s current or accumulated earnings and profits allocable to such distribution, with the excess treated as a return of capital reducing the shareholder’s tax basis in the shares held after the tender offer, and thereafter as capital gain. Any Trust shares held by a shareholder after a tender offer will be subject to basis adjustments in accordance with the provisions of the Code.

Provided that no tendering shareholder is treated as receiving a Section 301 distribution as a result of selling shares pursuant to a particular tender offer, shareholders who do not sell shares pursuant to that tender offer will not realize constructive distributions on their shares as a result of other shareholders selling shares in the tender offer. In the

event that any tendering shareholder is deemed to receive a Section 301 distribution, it is possible that shareholders whose proportionate ownership of the Trust increases as a result of that tender offer, including shareholders who do not tender any shares, will be deemed to receive a constructive distribution under Section 305(c) of the Code in an amount equal to the increase in their percentage ownership of the Trust as a result of the tender offer. Such constructive distribution will be treated as a dividend to the extent of current or accumulated earnings and profits allocable to it.

Use of the Trust’s cash to repurchase shares may adversely affect the Trust’s ability to satisfy the distribution requirements for treatment as a regulated investment company described above. The Trust may also recognize income in connection with the sale of portfolio securities to fund share purchases, in which case the Trust would take any such income into account in determining whether such distribution requirements have been satisfied.

If the Trust liquidates, shareholders generally will realize capital gain or loss upon such liquidation in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash or other property received by the shareholder (including any property deemed received by reason of its being placed in a liquidating trust) and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares. Any such gain or loss will be long-term if the shareholder is treated as having a holding period in Trust shares of greater than one year, and otherwise will be short-term.

The foregoing discussion does not address the tax treatment of shareholders who do not hold their shares as a capital asset. Such shareholders should consult their own tax advisors on the specific tax consequences to them of participating or not participating in the tender offer or upon liquidation of the Trust.

Ordinary income dividends properly reported by the RIC are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the RIC’s “qualified net interest income” (generally, its U.S.-source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the RIC is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) are paid in respect of the RIC’s “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of the RIC’s net short-term capital gain over its long-term capital loss for such taxable year). Depending on its circumstances, the Trust may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains, and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a foreign investor needs to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, or substitute Form). In the case of common shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may have withheld even if the Trust reported the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Foreign investors should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts. There can be no assurance as to what portion of the Trust’s distributions would qualify for favorable treatment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gains if the provision is extended.

In addition withholding at a rate of 30% will apply to dividends paid in respect of common shares of the Trust held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless such institution enters into an agreement with the Treasury to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to shares in, and accounts maintained by, the institution to the extent such shares or accounts are held by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments. Accordingly, the entity through which common shares of the Trust are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends paid in respect of common shares of the Trust held by an investor that is a non-financial foreign entity that does not qualify under certain exemptions will be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (i) certifies that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (ii) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which the applicable withholding agent will in turn provide to the Secretary of the Treasury. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, or future Treasury regulations or other guidance, may modify these requirements. The Trust will not pay any additional amounts to common shareholders in respect of any amounts withheld. Foreign investors are encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding the possible implications of these rules on their investment in the Trust’s common shares.

The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of certain provisions of the Code and the Treasury Regulations presently in effect as they directly govern the taxation of the Trust and its shareholders. For complete provisions, reference should be made to the pertinent Code sections and Treasury Regulations. The Code and the Treasury Regulations are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive with respect to Trust transactions. Holders of common shares are advised to consult their own tax advisers for more detailed information concerning the U.S. federal income taxation of the Trust and the income tax consequences to its holders of common shares.

S&P Global Ratings—A brief description of the applicable S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) rating symbols and their meanings (as published by S&P) follows:

An S&P issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects S&P’s view of the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and this opinion may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.

Issue credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P’s analysis of the following considerations:

An issue rating is an assessment of default risk but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

An S&P U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P’s opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P’s analysis will review the following considerations:

Moody’s Investors Service Inc. — A brief description of the applicable Moody’s Investors Service Inc. (“Moody’s”) rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Moody’s) follows:

Ratings assigned on Moody’s global long-term and short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment.

Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

The Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) scale is used to rate US municipal bond anticipation notes of up to five years maturity. Municipal notes rated on the MIG scale may be secured by either pledged revenues or proceeds of a take-out financing received prior to note maturity. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation, and the issuer’s long-term rating is only one consideration in assigning the MIG rating. MIG ratings are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3—while speculative grade short-term obligations are designated SG.

In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned: a long or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody’s evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody’s evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (“demand feature”). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale.

Fitch Ratings, Inc. — A brief description of the applicable Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”) ratings symbols and meanings (as published by Fitch) follows:

Fitch’s credit ratings relating to issuers are an opinion on the relative ability of an entity to meet financial commitments, such as interest, preferred dividends, repayment of principal, insurance claims or counterparty obligations. Credit ratings are used by investors as indications of the likelihood of receiving the money owed to them in accordance with the terms on which they invested.

Fitch’s credit ratings do not directly address any risk other than credit risk. In particular, ratings do not deal with the risk of a market value loss on a rated security due to changes in interest rates, liquidity and other market considerations. However, in terms of payment obligation on the rated liability, market risk may be considered to the extent that it influences the ability of an issuer to pay upon a commitment. Ratings nonetheless do not reflect market risk to the extent that they influence the size or other conditionality of the obligation to pay upon a commitment (for example, in the case of index-linked bonds).

In the default components of ratings assigned to individual obligations or instruments, the agency typically rates to the likelihood of non-payment or default in accordance with the terms of that instrument’s documentation. In limited cases, Fitch may include additional considerations (i.e. rate to a higher or lower standard than that implied in the obligation’s documentation).

The terms “investment grade” and “speculative grade” have established themselves over time as shorthand to describe the categories ‘AAA’ to ‘BBB’ (investment grade) and ‘BB’ to ‘D’ (speculative grade). The terms investment grade and speculative grade are market conventions and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. Investment grade categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the speculative categories either signal a higher level of credit risk or that a default has already occurred.

A designation of Not Rated or NR is used to denote securities not rated by Fitch where Fitch has rated some, but not all, securities comprising an issuance capital structure.

Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs are also assigned to certain entities or enterprises in global infrastructure, project finance and public finance. IDRs opine on an entity’s relative vulnerability to default (including by way of a distressed debt exchange) on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency’s view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange.

In all cases, the assignment of a default rating reflects the agency’s opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuer’s financial obligations or local commercial practice.

Notes: The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories.

A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

The following specific limitations relate to issuer default scales, ratings assigned to corporate finance obligations, ratings assigned to public finance obligations, ratings assigned to structured finance transactions, ratings assigned to global infrastructure and project finance transactions, ratings assigned for banks (Viability Ratings, Support Ratings, Support Floors), derivative counterparty ratings and insurer financial strength ratings.

The above list is not exhaustive and is provided for the reader’s convenience.

The Boards of Trustees/Directors (the “Directors”) of the closed-end funds advised by BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) (the “Funds”) have the responsibility for the oversight of voting proxies relating to portfolio securities of the Funds, and have determined that it is in the best interests of the Funds and their shareholders to delegate that responsibility to BlackRock as part of BlackRock’s authority to manage, acquire and dispose of account assets, all as contemplated by the Funds’ respective investment management agreements.

BlackRock has adopted guidelines and procedures (together and as from time to time amended, the “BlackRock Proxy Voting Guidelines”) governing proxy voting by accounts managed by BlackRock. BlackRock will cast votes on behalf of each of the Funds on specific proxy issues in respect of securities held by each such Fund in accordance with the BlackRock Proxy Voting Guidelines; provided that in the case of securities held by Funds that have or propose to adopt classified boards, BlackRock will typically (a) vote in favor of proposals to adopt classification and against proposals to eliminate classification, and (b) not vote against directors as a result of their adoption of a classified board structure.

BlackRock will report on an annual basis to the Directors on (1) a summary of all proxy votes that BlackRock has made on behalf of the Funds in the preceding year together with a representation that all votes were in accordance with the BlackRock Proxy Voting Guidelines (as modified pursuant to the immediately preceding paragraph), and (2) any changes to the BlackRock Proxy Voting Guidelines that have not previously been reported.

BlackRock helps investors build better financial futures. As a fiduciary to our clients, we provide the investment and technology solutions they need when planning for their most important goals. We manage assets on behalf of institutional and individual clients, across a full spectrum of investment strategies, asset classes and regions. Our client base includes pension plans, endowments, foundations, charities, official institutions, insurers and other financial institutions, as well as individuals around the world.

BlackRock’s Investment Stewardship activities are focused on protecting and enhancing the economic value of the companies in which we invest on behalf of clients. We do this through engagement with boards and management of investee companies and, for those clients who have given us authority, through voting at shareholder meetings.

We believe that there are certain fundamental rights attached to shareholding. Companies and their boards should be accountable to shareholders and structured with appropriate checks and balances to ensure that they operate in shareholders’ best interests. Effective voting rights are central to the rights of ownership and there should be one vote for one share. Shareholders should have the right to elect, remove and nominate directors, approve the appointment of the auditor and to amend the corporate charter or by-laws. Shareholders should be able to vote on matters that are material to the protection of their investment including but not limited to changes to the purpose of the business, dilution levels and pre-emptive rights, and the distribution of income and capital structure. In order to make informed decisions, we believe that shareholders have the right to sufficient and timely information.

Our primary focus is on the performance of the board of directors. As the agent of shareholders, the board should set the company’s strategic aims within a framework of prudent and effective controls, which enables risk to be assessed and managed. The board should provide direction and leadership to management and oversee management’s performance. Our starting position is to be supportive of boards in their oversight efforts on shareholders’ behalf and we would generally expect to support the items of business they put to a vote at shareholder meetings. Votes cast against or withheld from resolutions proposed by the board are a signal that we are concerned that the directors or management have either not acted in the best interests of shareholders or have not responded adequately to shareholder concerns. We assess voting matters on a case-by-case basis and in light of each company’s unique circumstances taking into consideration regional best practices and long-term value creation.

These principles set out our approach to engaging with companies, provide guidance on our position on corporate governance and outline how our views might be reflected in our voting decisions. Corporate governance practices can vary internationally, so our expectations in relation to individual companies are based on the legal and regulatory framework of each local market. However, we believe there are overarching principles of corporate governance that apply globally and provide a framework for more detailed, market-specific assessments.

We believe BlackRock has a responsibility in relation to monitoring and providing feedback to companies, sometimes known as “stewardship.” These ownership responsibilities include engaging with management or board members on corporate governance matters, voting proxies in the best long-term economic interests of shareholders and engaging with regulatory bodies to ensure a sound policy framework consistent with promoting long-term shareholder value creation. We also believe in the responsibility to our clients to have appropriate resources and oversight structures. Our approach is set out in the section below titled “BlackRock’s oversight of its investment stewardship activities” and is further detailed in a team profile on our website.

We recognize that accepted standards of corporate governance differ between markets, but we believe there are sufficient common threads globally to identify an overarching set of principles. The objective of our investment stewardship activities is the protection and enhancement of the value of our clients’ investments in public corporations. Thus, these principles focus on practices and structures that we consider to be supportive of long-term value creation. We discuss below the principles under six key themes. In our regional and market-specific voting guidelines we explain how these principles inform our voting decisions in relation to specific resolutions that may appear on the agenda of a shareholder meeting in the relevant market.

At a minimum, we expect companies to observe the accepted corporate governance standards in their domestic market or to explain why doing so is not in the interests of shareholders. Where company reporting and disclosure is inadequate or the approach taken is inconsistent with our view of what is in the best interests of shareholders, we will engage with the company and/or use our vote to encourage a change in practice. In making voting decisions, we perform independent research and analysis, such as reviewing relevant information published by the company and apply our voting guidelines to achieve the outcome we believe best protects our clients’ long-term economic interests. We also work closely with our active portfolio managers, and may take into account internal and external research.

BlackRock views engagement as an important activity; engagement provides us with the opportunity to improve our understanding of investee companies and their governance structures to better inform our voting decisions. Engagement also allows us to share our philosophy and approach to investment and corporate governance with companies to enhance their understanding of our objectives. Our engagements often focus on providing our feedback on company disclosures, particularly where we believe they could be enhanced. There are a range of approaches we may take in engaging companies depending on the nature of the issue under consideration, the company and the market.

BlackRock takes an engagement-first approach, emphasizing direct dialogue with companies on governance issues that have a material impact on financial performance. We generally prefer to engage in the first instance where we have concerns and give management time to address or resolve the issue. As a long-term investor, we are patient and persistent in working with our portfolio companies to have an open dialogue and develop mutual understanding of governance matters, to promote the adoption of best practices and to assess the merits of a company’s approach to its governance. We monitor the companies in which we invest and engage with them constructively and privately where we believe doing so helps protect shareholders’ interests. We do not try to micro-manage companies, or tell management and boards what to do. We present our views as a long-term shareholder and listen to companies’ responses. The materiality and immediacy of a given issue will generally determine the level of our engagement and whom we seek to engage at the company, which could be management representatives or board directors.

The performance of the board is critical to the economic success of the company and to the protection of shareholders’ interests. Board members serve as agents of shareholders in overseeing the strategic direction and operation of the company. For this reason, BlackRock focuses on directors in many of our engagements and sees the election of directors as one of our most important responsibilities in the proxy voting context.

We expect the board of directors to promote and protect shareholder interests by:

There should be clear definitions of the role of the board, the committees of the board and senior management such that the responsibilities of each are well understood and accepted. Companies should report publicly the approach taken to governance (including in relation to board structure) and why this approach is in the best interest of shareholders. We will seek to engage with the appropriate directors where we have concerns about the performance of the board or the company, the broad strategy of the company, or the performance of individual board members.

BlackRock believes that directors should stand for re-election on a regular basis. We assess directors nominated for election or re-election in the context of the composition of the board as a whole. There should be detailed disclosure of the relevant credentials of the individual directors in order for shareholders to assess the caliber of an individual nominee. We expect there to be a sufficient number of independent directors on the board to ensure the protection of the interests of all shareholders. Common impediments to independence may include but are not limited to:

BlackRock believes that the operation of the board is enhanced when there is a clearly independent, senior non-executive director to chair it or, where the chairman is also the CEO (or is otherwise not independent), an independent lead director. The role of this director is to enhance the effectiveness of the independent members of the board through shaping the agenda, ensuring adequate information is provided to the board and encouraging independent participation in board deliberations. The lead independent board director should be available to shareholders in those situations where a director is best placed to explain and justify a company’s approach.

To ensure that the board remains effective, regular reviews of board performance should be carried out and assessments made of gaps in skills or experience amongst the members. BlackRock believes it is beneficial for new directors to be brought onto the board periodically to refresh the group’s thinking and to ensure both continuity and adequate succession planning. In identifying potential candidates, boards should take into consideration the multiple dimensions of diversity, including personal factors such as gender, ethnicity, and age; as well as professional characteristics, such as a director’s industry, area of expertise, and geographic location. The board should review these dimensions of the current directors and how they might be augmented by incoming directors. We believe that directors are in the best position to assess the optimal size for the board, but we would be concerned if a board seemed too small to have an appropriate balance of directors or too large to be effective.

There are matters for which the board has responsibility that may involve a conflict of interest for executives or for affiliated directors. BlackRock believes that shareholders’ interests are best served when the board forms committees of fully independent directors to deal with such matters. In many markets, these committees of the board specialize in audit, director nominations and compensation matters. An ad hoc committee might also be formed to decide on a special transaction, particularly one with a related party or to investigate a significant adverse event.

BlackRock recognizes the critical importance of financial statements, which should provide a true and fair picture of a company’s financial condition. We will hold the members of the audit committee or equivalent responsible for overseeing the management of the audit function. We take particular note of cases involving significant financial restatements or ad hoc notifications of material financial weakness.

The integrity of financial statements depends on the auditor being free of any impediments to being an effective check on management. To that end, we believe it is important that auditors are, and are seen to be, independent. Where the audit firm provides services to the company in addition to the audit, the fees earned should be disclosed and explained. Audit committees should have in place a procedure for assessing annually the independence of the auditor.

The capital structure of a company is critical to its owners, the shareholders, as it impacts the value of their investment and the priority of their interest in the company relative to that of other equity or debt investors. Pre-emptive rights are a key protection for shareholders against the dilution of their interests.

Effective voting rights are central to the rights of ownership and we believe strongly in one vote for one share as a guiding principle that supports good corporate governance. Shareholders, as the residual claimants, have the strongest interest in protecting company value, and voting power should match economic exposure.

We are concerned that the creation of a dual share class may result in an over-concentration of power in the hands of a few shareholders, thus disenfranchising other shareholders and amplifying the potential conflict of interest, which the one share, one vote principle is designed to mitigate. However, we recognize that in certain circumstances, companies may have a valid argument for dual-class listings, at least for a limited period of time. We believe that such companies should review these dual-class structures on a regular basis or as company circumstances change. Additionally, they should receive shareholder approval of their capital structure on a periodic basis via a management proposal in the company’s proxy. The proposal should give unaffiliated shareholders the opportunity to affirm the current structure or establish mechanisms to end or phase out controlling structures at the appropriate time, while minimizing costs to shareholders.

In assessing mergers, asset sales or other special transactions, BlackRock’s primary consideration is the long-term economic interests of shareholders. Boards proposing a transaction need to clearly explain the economic and strategic rationale behind it. We will review a proposed transaction to determine the degree to which it enhances long-term shareholder value. We would prefer that proposed transactions have the unanimous support of the board and have been negotiated at arm’s length. We may seek reassurance from the board that executives’ and/or board members’ financial interests in a given transaction have not adversely affected their ability to place shareholders’ interests before their own.

Where the transaction involves related parties, we would expect the recommendation to support it to come from the independent directors and it is good practice to be approved by a separate vote of the non-conflicted shareholders.

BlackRock believes that shareholders have a right to dispose of company shares in the open market without unnecessary restriction. In our view, corporate mechanisms designed to limit shareholders’ ability to sell their shares are contrary to basic property rights. Such mechanisms can serve to protect and entrench interests other than those of the shareholders. We believe that shareholders are broadly capable of making decisions in their own best interests. We expect any so-called ‘shareholder rights plans’ proposed by a board to be subject to shareholder approval upon introduction and periodically thereafter for continuation.

BlackRock expects a company’s board of directors to put in place a compensation structure that incentivizes and rewards executives appropriately and is aligned with shareholder interests, particularly generating sustainable long-term shareholder returns. We would expect the compensation committee to take into account the specific circumstances of the company and the key individuals the board is trying to incentivize. We encourage companies to ensure that their compensation plans incorporate appropriate and challenging performance conditions consistent with corporate strategy and market practice. We use third party research, in addition to our own analysis, to evaluate existing and proposed compensation structures. We hold members of the compensation committee or equivalent board members accountable for poor compensation practices or structures.

BlackRock believes that there should be a clear link between variable pay and company performance that drives shareholder returns. We are not supportive of one-off or special bonuses unrelated to company or individual performance. We acknowledge that the use of peer group evaluation by compensation committees can help ensure competitive pay; however we are concerned when increases in total compensation at a company are justified solely on peer benchmarking rather than outperformance. We support incentive plans that foster the sustainable achievement of results relative to competitors. The vesting timeframes associated with incentive plans should facilitate a focus on long-term value creation. We believe consideration should be given to building claw back provisions into incentive plans such that executives would be required to forgo rewards when they are not justified by actual performance.

Compensation committees should guard against contractual arrangements that would entitle executives to material compensation for early termination of their contract. Finally, pension contributions and other deferred compensation arrangements should be reasonable in light of market practice.

Non-executive directors should be compensated in a manner that is commensurate with the time and effort expended in fulfilling their professional responsibilities. Additionally, these compensation arrangements should not risk compromising their independence or aligning their interests too closely with those of the management, whom they are charged with overseeing.

It is within this context of our fiduciary duty to clients that we undertake our investment stewardship activities. Sound practices in relation to the material environmental and social (“E&S”) factors inherent in the business model can be a signal of operational excellence and management quality.

BlackRock expects companies to identify and report on the material, business-specific E&S risks and opportunities and to explain how these are managed. This explanation should make clear how the approach taken by the company best serves the interests of shareholders and protects and enhances the long-term economic value of the company. E&S factors are material if they are core to how the business operates. The key performance indicators in relation to E&S factors should also be disclosed and performance against them discussed, along with any peer group benchmarking and verification processes in place. This helps shareholders assess how well management is dealing with the material E&S factors relevant to the business. Any generally recognized best practices and reporting standards adopted by the company should also be discussed in this context.

We do not see it as our role to make social or political judgments on behalf of clients. Our consideration of these E&S factors is consistent with protecting the long-term economic interest of our clients’ assets. We expect investee companies to comply, at a minimum, with the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they operate. They should explain how they manage situations where local laws or regulations that significantly impact the company’s operations are contradictory or ambiguous to global norms.

Given that E&S factors are often not issues on which a shareholder votes, we will engage directly with the board or management. Engagement on a particular E&S factor is based on our assessment that there are potential material economic ramifications for shareholders over the long-term.

We may vote against the election of directors where we have concerns that a company might not be dealing with material E&S factors appropriately. Sometimes we may reflect such concerns by supporting a shareholder proposal on the issue, where there seems to be either a significant potential threat or realized harm to shareholders’ interests caused by poor management of E&S factors. In deciding our course of action, we will assess whether the company has already taken sufficient steps to address the concern and whether there is a clear and material economic disadvantage to the company if the issue is not addressed.

BlackRock believes that shareholders have a right to timely and detailed information on the financial performance and viability of the companies in which they invest. In addition, companies should also publish information on the governance structures in place and the rights of shareholders to influence these. The reporting and disclosure provided by companies help shareholders assess whether their economic interests have been protected and the quality of the board’s oversight of management. We believe shareholders should have the right to vote on key corporate governance matters, including changes to governance mechanisms, to submit proposals to the shareholders’ meeting and to call special meetings of shareholders.

We hold ourselves to a very high standard in our investment stewardship activities, including proxy voting. This function is executed by a team called BlackRock Investment Stewardship (“BIS”) which is comprised of BlackRock employees who do not have other responsibilities other than their roles in BIS. BIS is considered an investment function. The team does not have sales responsibilities.

BlackRock maintains three regional advisory committees (“Stewardship Advisory Committees”) for (a) the Americas; (b) Europe, the Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”); and (c) Asia-Pacific, generally consisting of senior BlackRock investment professionals and/or senior employees with practical boardroom experience. The regional Stewardship Advisory Committees review and advise on amendments to the proxy voting guidelines covering markets within each respective region (“Guidelines”).

In addition to the regional Stewardship Advisory Committees, the Investment Stewardship Global Oversight Committee (“Global Committee”) is a risk-focused committee, comprised of senior representatives from various BlackRock investment teams, BlackRock’s Deputy General Counsel, the Global Head of Investment Stewardship (“Global Head”), and other senior executives with relevant experience and team oversight.

The Global Head has primary oversight of the activities of BIS, including voting in accordance with the Guidelines, which require the application of professional judgment and consideration of each company’s unique circumstances. The Global Committee reviews and approves amendments to these Global Corporate Governance & Engagement Principles. The Global Committee also reviews and approves amendments to the regional Guidelines, as proposed by the regional Stewardship Advisory Committees.

In addition, the Global Committee receives and reviews periodic reports regarding the votes cast by BIS, as well as regular updates on material process issues, procedural changes and other risk oversight considerations. The Global Committee reviews these reports in an oversight capacity as informed by the BIS corporate governance engagement program and Guidelines.

BIS carries out engagement with companies, monitors and executes proxy votes, and conducts vote operations (including maintaining records of votes cast) in a manner consistent with the relevant Guidelines. BIS also conducts research on corporate governance issues and participates in industry discussions to keep abreast of important developments in the corporate governance field. BIS may utilize third parties for certain of the foregoing activities and performs oversight of those third parties. BIS may raise complicated or particularly controversial matters for internal discussion with the relevant investment teams and/or refer such matters to the appropriate regional Stewardship Advisory Committees for review, discussion and guidance prior to making a voting decision.

We carefully consider proxies submitted to funds and other fiduciary account(s) (“Fund” or “Funds”) for which we have voting authority. BlackRock votes (or refrains from voting) proxies for each Fund for which we have voting authority based on our evaluation of the best long-term economic interests of shareholders, in the exercise of our independent business judgment, and without regard to the relationship of the issuer of the proxy (or any shareholder proponent or dissident shareholder) to the Fund, the Fund’s affiliates (if any), BlackRock or BlackRock’s affiliates, or BlackRock employees (see “Conflicts management policies and procedures”, below).

When exercising voting rights, BlackRock will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with the Guidelines for the relevant market. The Guidelines are reviewed regularly and are amended consistent with changes in the local market practice, as developments in corporate governance occur, or as otherwise deemed advisable by BlackRock’s Stewardship Advisory Committees. BIS may, in the exercise of their professional judgment, conclude that the Guidelines do not cover the specific matter upon which a proxy vote is required or that an exception to the Guidelines would be in the best long-term economic interests of BlackRock’s clients.

In the uncommon circumstance of there being a vote with respect to fixed income securities or the securities of privately held issuers, the decision generally will be made by a Fund’s portfolio managers and/or BIS based on their assessment of the particular transactions or other matters at issue.

In certain markets, proxy voting involves logistical issues which can affect BlackRock’s ability to vote such proxies, as well as the desirability of voting such proxies. These issues include but are not limited to: (i) untimely notice of shareholder meetings; (ii) restrictions on a foreigner’s ability to exercise votes; (iii) requirements to vote proxies in person; (iv) “share-blocking” (requirements that investors who exercise their voting rights surrender the right to dispose of their holdings for some specified period in proximity to the shareholder meeting); (v) potential difficulties in translating the proxy; (vi) regulatory constraints; and (vii) requirements to provide local agents with unrestricted powers of attorney to facilitate voting instructions. We are not supportive of impediments to the exercise of voting rights such as shareblocking or overly burdensome administrative requirements.

As a consequence, BlackRock votes proxies on a “best-efforts” basis. In addition, BIS may determine that it is generally in the best interests of BlackRock’s clients not to vote proxies if the costs (including but not limited to opportunity costs associated with shareblocking constraints) associated with exercising a vote are expected to outweigh the benefit the client would derive by voting on the proposal.

Portfolio managers have full discretion to vote the shares in the Funds they manage based on their analysis of the economic impact of a particular ballot item. Portfolio managers may from time to time reach differing views on how best to maximize economic value with respect to a particular investment. Therefore, portfolio managers may, and sometimes do, vote shares in the Funds under their management differently from one another. However, because BlackRock’s clients are mostly long-term investors with long-term economic goals, ballots are frequently cast in a uniform manner.

BIS maintains the following policies and procedures that seek to prevent undue influence on BlackRock’s proxy voting activity. Such influence might stem from any relationship between the investee company (or any shareholder proponent or dissident shareholder) and BlackRock, BlackRock’s affiliates, a Fund or a Fund’s affiliates, or BlackRock employees. The following are examples of sources of perceived or potential conflicts of interest:

BlackRock has taken certain steps to mitigate perceived or potential conflicts including, but not limited to, the following:

When so authorized, BlackRock acts as a securities lending agent on behalf of Funds. With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting, BlackRock’s approach is driven by our clients’ economic interests. The decision whether to recall securities on loan to vote is based on a formal analysis of the revenue producing value to clients of loans, against the assessed economic value of casting votes. Generally, we expect that the likely economic value to clients of casting votes would be less than the securities lending income, either because, in our assessment, the resolutions being voted on will not have significant economic consequences or because the outcome would not be affected by BlackRock recalling loaned securities in order to vote. BlackRock also may, in our discretion, determine that the value of voting outweighs the cost of recalling shares, and thus recall shares to vote in that instance.

Periodically, BlackRock reviews our process for determining whether to recall securities on loan in order to vote and may modify it as necessary.

The issue-specific Guidelines published for each region/country in which we vote are intended to summarize BlackRock’s general philosophy and approach to issues that may commonly arise in the proxy voting context in each market where we invest. These Guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. BIS applies the Guidelines on a case-by-case basis, in the context of the individual circumstances of each company and the specific issue under review. As such, these Guidelines do not indicate how BIS will vote in every instance. Rather, they share our view about corporate governance issues generally, and provide insight into how we typically approach issues that commonly arise on corporate ballots.

We inform clients about our engagement and voting policies and activities through direct communication and through disclosure on our website. Each year we publish an annual report, an annual engagement and voting statistics report, and our full voting record to our website. On a quarterly basis, we publish regional reports which provide an overview of our investment stewardship engagement and voting activities during the quarter, including market developments, speaking engagements, and engagement and voting statistics. Additionally, we make public our market-specific voting guidelines for the benefit of clients and companies with whom we engage.

The agreements included or incorporated by reference as exhibits to this registration statement contain representations and warranties by each of the parties to the applicable agreement. These representations and warranties were made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement and (i) were not intended to be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating the risk to one of the parties if those statements prove to be inaccurate; (ii) may have been qualified in such agreement by disclosures that were made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement; (iii) may apply contract standards of “materiality” that are different from “materiality” under the applicable securities laws; and (iv) were made only as of the date of the applicable agreement or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement.

The Registrant acknowledges that, notwithstanding the inclusion of the foregoing cautionary statements, it is responsible for considering whether additional specific disclosures of material information regarding material contractual provisions are required to make the statements in this registration statement not misleading.

See the Form of Underwriting Agreement, the Form of Master Agreement Among Underwriters, the Form of Master Selected Dealers Agreement and the Form of Structuring Fee Agreement to be filed by pre-effective amendment as Exhibit (h)(1), Exhibit (h)(2), Exhibit (h)(3) and Exhibit (h)(4), respectively, to this Registration Statement.

The following table sets forth the estimated expenses to be incurred in connection with the offering described in this registration statement:

Article V of the Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust provides as follows:

5.1 No Personal Liability of Shareholders, Trustees, etc. No Shareholder of the Trust shall be subject in such capacity to any personal liability whatsoever to any Person in connection with Trust Property or the acts, obligations or affairs of the Trust. Shareholders shall have the same limitation of personal liability as is extended to stockholders of a corporation incorporated under the Maryland General Corporation Law. To the maximum extent that Maryland law in effect from time to time permits limitation of the liability of trustees and officers of a Maryland statutory trust, (i) no Trustee or officer of the Trust shall be subject in such capacity to any personal liability whatsoever to any Person, save only liability to the Trust or its Shareholders arising from bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard for his duty to such Person; and, subject to the foregoing exception, all such Persons shall look solely to the Trust Property for satisfaction of claims of any nature arising in connection with the affairs of the Trust and (ii) if any Shareholder, Trustee or officer, as such, of the Trust, is made a party to any suit or proceeding to enforce any such liability, subject to the foregoing exception, such Shareholder, Trustee or officer shall not, on account thereof, be held to any personal liability. Any repeal or modification of this Section 5.1 shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a Shareholder, Trustee or officer of the Trust existing at the time of such repeal or modification with respect to acts or omissions occurring prior to such repeal or modification.

5.2 Mandatory Indemnification. (a) The Trust hereby agrees to indemnify each person who at any time serves or has served as a Trustee or officer of the Trust (each such person being an “indemnitee”) against any liabilities and expenses, including amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines and penalties, and reasonable counsel fees reasonably incurred by such indemnitee in connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, whether civil or criminal, before any court or administrative or investigative body in which such indemnitee may be or may have been involved as a party or otherwise or with which he may be or may have been threatened, while acting in any capacity set forth in this Article V by reason of such indemnitee having acted in any such capacity, provided, however, that no indemnitee shall be indemnified hereunder against any liability to any person or any expense of such indemnitee arising by reason of (i) willful misfeasance, (ii) bad faith, (iii) gross negligence, or (iv) reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his position (the conduct referred to in such clauses (i) through (iv) being sometimes referred to herein as “disabling conduct”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any action, suit or other proceeding voluntarily prosecuted by any indemnitee as plaintiff, indemnification shall be mandatory only if the prosecution of such action, suit or other proceeding by such indemnitee (1) was authorized by a majority of the Board of Trustees or (2) was instituted by the indemnitee to enforce his or her rights to indemnification hereunder in a case in which the indemnitee is found to be entitled to such indemnification. The rights to indemnification set forth in this Declaration shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Trustee or officer of the Trust and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and personal and legal representatives. No amendment or restatement of this Declaration or repeal of any of its provisions shall limit or eliminate any of the benefits provided to any person who at any time is or was a Trustee or officer of the Trust or otherwise entitled to indemnification hereunder in respect of any act or omission that occurred prior to such amendment, restatement or repeal.

(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no indemnification shall be made hereunder unless there has been a determination (i) by a final decision on the merits by a court or other body of competent jurisdiction before whom

the issue of entitlement to indemnification hereunder was brought that such indemnitee is entitled to indemnification hereunder or, (ii) in the absence of such a decision, by (1) a majority vote of a quorum of those Trustees who are neither “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) (“Independent Trustees”) nor parties to the proceeding (“Disinterested Non-Party Trustees”), that the indemnitee is entitled to indemnification hereunder, or (2) if such quorum is not obtainable or even if obtainable, if such majority so directs, independent legal counsel in a written opinion concludes that the indemnitee should be entitled to indemnification hereunder. All determinations to make advance payments in connection with the expense of defending any proceeding shall be authorized and made in accordance with the immediately succeeding paragraph (c) below.

(c) The Trust shall make advance payments in connection with the expenses of defending any action with respect to which indemnification might be sought hereunder if the Trust receives a written affirmation by the indemnitee of the indemnitee’s good faith belief that the standards of conduct necessary for indemnification have been met and a written undertaking to reimburse the Trust unless it is subsequently determined that the indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification and if a majority of the Trustees determine that the applicable standards of conduct necessary for indemnification appear to have been met. In addition, at least one of the following conditions must be met: (i) the indemnitee shall provide adequate security for his undertaking, (ii) the Trust shall be insured against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances, or (iii) a majority of a quorum of the Disinterested Non-Party Trustees, or if a majority vote of such quorum so direct, independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall conclude, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is substantial reason to believe that the indemnitee ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

(d) The rights accruing to any indemnitee under these provisions shall not exclude any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under this Declaration, the Bylaws of the Trust, any statute, agreement, vote of Shareholders or Trustees who are “disinterested persons” (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) or any other right to which he or she may be lawfully entitled.

(e) Subject to any limitations provided by the 1940 Act and this Declaration, the Trust shall have the power and authority to indemnify and provide for the advance payment of expenses to employees, agents and other Persons providing services to the Trust or serving in any capacity at the request of the Trust to the full extent corporations organized under the Maryland General Corporation Law may indemnify or provide for the advance payment of expenses for such Persons, provided that such indemnification has been approved by the Board of Trustees.

(f) The Board of Trustees may maintain insurance for the protection of the Trust Property, the Shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees and agents in such amount as the Board of Trustees shall deem adequate to cover possible tort liability, and such other insurance as the Board of Trustees in its sole judgment shall deem advisable or is required by the 1940 Act.

(g) In the event of payment by the Trust to an indemnitee, the Trust shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the indemnitee, who shall execute such documents and do such acts as the Trust may reasonably request to secure such rights and to enable the Trust effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.

5.3 No Bond Required of Trustees. No Trustee shall, as such, be obligated to give any bond or other security for the performance of any of such Trustees duties hereunder.

5.4 No Duty of Investigation; No Notice in Trust Instruments, etc. No purchaser, lender, transfer agent or other person dealing with the Trustees or with any officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall be bound to make any inquiry concerning the validity of any transaction purporting to be made by the Board of Trustees or by said officer, employee or agent or be liable for the application of money or property paid, loaned, or delivered to or on the order of the Trustees or of said officer, employee or agent. Every obligation, contract, undertaking, instrument, certificate, Share, other security of the Trust, and every other act or thing whatsoever executed in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively taken to have been executed or done by the executors thereof only in their capacity as Trustees under this Declaration or in their capacity as officers, employees or agents of the Trust.

5.5 Trustee’s Good Faith Action, Reliance on Experts, etc. The exercise in good faith by the Trustees of their powers and discretions hereunder shall be binding upon everyone interested. The Trustees may rely in good faith

upon advice of counsel or other experts with respect to the meaning and operation of this Declaration and their duties as Trustees hereunder, and, to the maximum extent that permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, shall be under no liability for any act or omission in accordance with such advice; provided further that, to the maximum extent that permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, the Trustees shall be under no liability for failing to follow such advice. To the maximum extent that permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, a Trustee shall be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of the Trust and upon information, opinions, reports or statements presented by another Trustee or any officer, employee or other agent of the Trust, or by any other Person as to matters the Trustee believes in good faith are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, liabilities, profits or losses of the Trust or any series or class, or the value and amount of assets or reserves or contracts, agreements or other undertakings that would be sufficient to pay claims and obligations of the Trust or any series or class or to make reasonable provision to pay such claims and obligations, or any other facts pertinent to the existence and amount of assets from which distributions to Shareholders or creditors of the Trust might properly be paid.

Registrant has also entered into an agreement with Trustees and officers of the Registrant entitled to indemnification under the Agreement and Declaration of Trust pursuant to which the Registrant has agreed to advance expenses and costs incurred by the indemnitee in connection with any matter in respect of which indemnification might be sought pursuant to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Additionally, the Registrant and the other funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex jointly maintain, at their own expense, E&O/D&O insurance policies for the benefit of its Trustees, officers and certain affiliated persons. The Registrant pays a pro rata portion of the premium on such insurance policies.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, may be permitted to Directors, officers and controlling persons of the Trust, pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the Trust has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a Director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such Director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

BlackRock Advisors, LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of Delaware (the “Advisor”), acts as investment adviser to the Registrant. The Registrant is fulfilling the requirement of this Item 31 to provide a list of the officers and directors of the Advisor, together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by the Advisor or those officers and directors during the past two years, by incorporating by reference the information contained in the Form ADV of the Advisor filed with the commission pursuant to the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 (Commission File No. 801-47710).

The Registrant’s accounts, books and other documents are currently located at the offices of the Registrant, c/o BlackRock Advisors, LLC, 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19809 and at the offices of , the Registrant’s Custodian, at , and , the Registrant’s Transfer Agent, , and , the Registrant’s administrator, at .

(1) The Registrant hereby undertakes to suspend the offering of its units until it amends its prospectus if (a) subsequent to the effective date of its registration statement, the net asset value declines more than 10 percent from its net asset value as of the effective date of the Registration Statement or (b) the net asset value increases to an amount greater than its net proceeds as stated in the prospectus.

(5) (a) For the purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of a registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in the form of prospectus filed by the Registrant under Rule 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of the Registration Statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(b) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(6) The Registrant undertakes to send by first class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery within two business days of receipt of a written or oral request, any Statement of Additional Information constituting Part B of this Registration Statement.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Trust has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, and State of New York, on the 20^th day of August 2019.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated and on the 20^th day of August, 2019.


		*the Securities Act of 1933*		☒
		Pre-Effective Amendment No.		☐
		Post-Effective Amendment No.		☐


		*the Investment Company Act of 1940*		☒
		Amendment No.		☐



Title of Securities Being Registered	Amount Being Registered	Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Unit	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price	Amount of Registration Fee
Common Shares of Beneficial Interest, $0.001 par value	N/A	N/A	$1,000,000⁽¹⁾	$121.20


	Page
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY		1

SUMMARY OF TRUST EXPENSES		44

THE TRUST		45

USE OF PROCEEDS		45

THE TRUST’S INVESTMENTS		45

LEVERAGE		61

RISKS		65

HOW THE TRUST MANAGES RISK		116

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST		116

NET ASSET VALUE		118

DISTRIBUTIONS		121

DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN		122

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES		124

CERTAIN PROVISIONS IN THE AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST AND BYLAWS		125

LIMITED TERM AND ELIGIBLE TENDER OFFER		126

CLOSED-END FUND STRUCTURE		128

REPURCHASE OF COMMON SHARES		129

TAX MATTERS		129

UNDERWRITERS		135

CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT		139

ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTING SERVICES		139

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM		139

LEGAL OPINIONS		139

PRIVACY PRINCIPLES OF THE TRUST		140


Shareholder Transaction Expenses
Sales load paid by you (as a percentage of offering price)⁽¹⁾		None
Offering expenses borne by the Trust (as a percentage of offering price)⁽²⁾		None
Dividend reinvestment plan fees		$[●] per share for open-market purchases of common shares⁽³⁾


	Per Share			Total⁽¹⁾
Public Offering Price	$	[●	]	$	[●	]
Sales Load⁽²⁾		None			None
Proceeds to the Trust⁽³⁾	$	[●	]	$	[●	]


	Percentage of net assets attributable to common shares
Estimated Annual Expenses
Management fees⁽⁴⁾		[●]	%
Other expenses		[●]	%

Total annual expenses		[●]	%


USE OF PROCEEDS			S-1

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES			S-1

INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES			S-3

ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS			S-18

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST			S-36

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE			S-39

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST			S-42

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES			S-50

REPURCHASE OF COMMON SHARES			S-51

TAX MATTERS			S-53

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM			F-1

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS			F-2

APPENDIX A: RATINGS OF INVESTMENTS			A-1

APPENDIX B: PROXY VOTING POLICIES—BLACKROCK U.S. REGISTERED FUNDS			B-1



AAA		An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments 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 commitments 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 commitments 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 weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments 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 exposure 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 that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments 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 commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments 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 commitments 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 commitments 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 with 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 Global Ratings 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. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.



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 commitments 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 commitments 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 commitments 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 weaken an obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments 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 that 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 commitments 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. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.



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

SP-3		Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

D		‘D’ is assigned upon failure to pay the note when due, completion of a distressed exchange offer, or 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.



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.



AAA	Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of default 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 default 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 default 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 default 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 default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exists that supports the servicing of financial commitments.

B	Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.

CCC	Substantial credit risk. Default is a real possibility.

CC	Very high levels of credit risk. Default of some kind appears probable.

C	Near default. A default or default-like process has begun, or the issuer is in standstill, or for a closed funding vehicle, payment capacity is irrevocably impaired. Conditions that are indicative of a ‘C’ category rating for an issuer include:

	a.	the issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation;

	b.	the issuer has entered into a temporary negotiated waiver or standstill agreement following a payment default on a material financial obligation;

	c.	the formal announcement by the issuer or their agent of a distressed debt exchange;

	d.	a closed financing vehicle where payment capacity is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to pay interest and/or principal in full during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default is imminent.

RD	Restricted default. ‘RD’ ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has experienced:

	a.	an uncured payment default or distressed debt exchange on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation, but


		b.		has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation, or other formal winding-up procedure, and

		c.		has not otherwise ceased operating.


D		Default. ‘D’ ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure or that has otherwise ceased business.



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.


	Page
INTRODUCTION TO BLACKROCK		2

PHILOSOPHY ON CORPORATE GOVERNANCE		2

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, ENGAGEMENT AND VOTING		2

BOARDS AND DIRECTORS		3

AUDITORS AND AUDIT-RELATED ISSUES		5

CAPITAL STRUCTURE, MERGERS, ASSET SALES AND OTHER SPECIAL TRANSACTIONS		5

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS		6

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES		6

GENERAL CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS AND SHAREHOLDER PROTECTIONS		7

BLACKROCK’S OVERSIGHT OF ITS INVESTMENT STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES		7

OVERSIGHT		7

VOTE EXECUTION		8

CONFLICTS MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES		8

VOTING GUIDELINES		10

REPORTING AND VOTE TRANSPARENCY		10



(1)		Financial Statements

		Part A: None

		Part B:

		Audited Financial Statements – to be included in SAI

		Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – to be included in SAI

(2)		Exhibits

(a)		Agreement and Declaration of Trust *

(b)		Bylaws *

(c)		Inapplicable

(d)(1)		Article VI (Shares of Beneficial Interest) and Article X (Shareholders) of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust *

(2)		Article I (Shareholder Meetings) of the Bylaws *

(e)		Form of Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan (1)

(f)		Inapplicable

(g)		Form of Investment Management Agreement (1)

(h)(1)		Form of Underwriting Agreement (1)

(2)		Form of Master Agreement Among Underwriters (1)

(3)		Form of Master Selected Dealers Agreement (1)


(4)		Form of Structuring Fee Agreement (1)

(i)		BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex Amended and Restated Deferred Compensation Plan (1)

(j)		Form of Master Custodian Agreement (1)

(k)(1)		Form of Transfer Agency and Service Agreement (1)

(2)		Form of Administration and Fund Accounting Services Agreement (1)

(3)		Form of Name Licensing Agreement (1)

(4)		Form of Securities Lending Agreement (1)

(5)		Organizational and Offering Expenses Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC (1)

(l)		Opinion and Consent of Counsel (1)

(m)		Inapplicable

(n)		Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Consent (1)

(o)		Inapplicable

(p)		Form of Initial Subscription Agreement (1)

(q)		Inapplicable

(r)		Code of Ethics of the Registrant and the Advisor (1)

(s)		Power of Attorney (1)


Registration fee		$
NYSE listing fee
Printing and engraving expenses
Accounting fees and expenses
Legal fees and expenses
FINRA fee
Miscellaneous
Total		$


Title Of Class		Number Of Record Holders
Common Shares of Beneficial Interest


BLACKROCK HEALTH SCIENCES TRUST II

By:		/s/ John M. Perlowski
		John M. Perlowski Sole Trustee, President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer,
		Treasurer and Secretary


Signature				Title

/s/ John M. Perlowski				Sole Trustee, President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary
John M. Perlowski