Managed Distribution Plan Announced for Certain BlackRock Closed-End Funds

Business Wire 9-Sep-2019 9:15 AM

On September 5, 2019, the Board of Directors/Trustees (the "Board") of each fund listed in the table below (each, a "Fund" and together, the "Funds") approved a Managed Distribution Plan (the "Plan") for each Fund. Pursuant to the Plan, each Fund will pay a monthly distribution to shareholders at a stated annual rate as a percentage of the 3-month average net asset value ("NAV") as of July 31, 2019 for each applicable Fund. The stated annual distribution rate and monthly distribution amount per share for each Fund are set out in the table below. Payment of monthly distributions under each Fund's Plan will commence in October 2019. Relevant dates for the first distribution under each Fund's Plan will be announced after the close of business on October 1, 2019.

The Plan is intended to provide shareholders of each Fund with consistent, but not guaranteed, periodic distributions from the Fund, regardless of when or whether income is earned or capital gains are realized. The Plan will be subject to periodic review by the Board, and the Board may amend the terms of the Plan including amending the annual rate of payment or may terminate the Plan at any time without prior notice to a Fund's shareholders. The amendment or termination of the Plan could have an adverse effect on the market price of a Fund's common shares.

If sufficient investment income is not available for a monthly distribution, a Fund will distribute long-term capital gains and/or return of capital in order to maintain its stated fixed annual distribution rate under the Plan. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that shareholders invested in a Fund is paid back to them. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect a Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income." No conclusions should be drawn about a Fund's investment performance from the amount of such Fund's distributions or from the terms of the Plan. When distributions exceed total return performance, the difference will reduce the Fund's net asset value per share.

In order to comply with the requirements of Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and an exemptive order granted to the Funds by the Securities and Exchange Commission, each Fund will provide its shareholders of record on each distribution record date with a Section 19 Notice disclosing the sources of its dividend payment when a distribution includes anything other than net investment income. The amounts and sources of distributions reported in Section 19 Notices are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon a Fund's investment experience during its full fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. Each Fund will send shareholders a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell them how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. Information on each Fund's Section 19 Notices can be found at www.blackrock.com.

About BlackRock

BlackRock helps investors build better financial futures. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, our clients turn to us for the solutions they need when planning for their most important goals. As of June 30, 2019, the firm managed approximately $6.842 trillion in assets on behalf of investors worldwide. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com | Twitter: @blackrock | Blog: www.blackrockblog.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release, and other statements that BlackRock or the Funds may make, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to the Funds or BlackRock's future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as "trend," "potential," "opportunity," "pipeline," "believe," "comfortable," "expect," "anticipate," "current," "intention," "estimate," "position," "assume," "outlook," "continue," "remain," "maintain," "sustain," "seek," "achieve," and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," "may" or similar expressions.

BlackRock cautions that forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and BlackRock assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from historical performance.

With respect to each Fund, the following factors, among others, could cause actual events to differ materially from forward-looking statements or historical performance: (1) changes and volatility in political, economic or industry conditions, the interest rate environment, foreign exchange rates or financial and capital markets, which could result in changes in demand for the Fund or in the Fund's net asset value; (2) the relative and absolute investment performance of the Fund and its investments; (3) the impact of increased competition; (4) the unfavorable resolution of any legal proceedings; (5) the extent and timing of any distributions or share repurchases; (6) the impact, extent and timing of technological changes; (7) the impact of legislative and regulatory actions and reforms, and regulatory, supervisory or enforcement actions of government agencies relating to the Fund or BlackRock, as applicable; (8) terrorist activities, international hostilities and natural disasters, which may adversely affect the general economy, domestic and local financial and capital markets, specific industries or BlackRock; (9) BlackRock's ability to attract and retain highly talented professionals; (10) the impact of BlackRock electing to provide support to its products from time to time; and (11) the impact of problems at other financial institutions or the failure or negative performance of products at other financial institutions.

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports and other regulatory filings of each Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and on BlackRock's website at www.blackrock.com, and may discuss these or other factors that affect the Fund. The information contained on BlackRock's website is not a part of this press release.

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