The Singapore Fund, Inc. Announces Approval Of Managed Distribution Policy
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Singapore Fund, Inc. (NYSE: SGF) (the "Fund"), a closed-end management investment company, announced today that its Board of Directors (the "Board") has approved a managed distribution policy.
The Board approved the policy in order to provide a steady and sustainable quarterly cash distribution to Fund shareholders, and as an additional measure intended to reduce any discount to NAV at which the Fund's shares have been trading following the recent tender offer.
The Board has determined that the Fund will pay quarterly distributions at an annual rate, set once a year, that is a percentage of the average of the Fund's prior four fiscal quarter-end net asset values ("NAV"). The Board has determined that the initial percentage will be 6%. This policy will be subject to regular review by the Board. Previously the Fund's policy was to pay a single annual distribution.
Among other factors, in approving the managed distribution policy the Board of Directors considered the ability of the Fund to sustain the policy and considered that making periodic distributions could increase liquidity for common shareholders and may assist in narrowing the discount to NAV at which common shares have tended to trade. Of course, there can be no guarantee that these benefits will occur or that any improvement would continue.
The distributions will be made from net investment income, net realized capital gains and, to any extent necessary, paid-in capital. As net assets of the Fund may vary from quarter to quarter, the quarterly distribution may represent more or less than one-quarter of 6% of the Fund's net assets at the time of distribution. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of the distributions or the terms of the Fund's policy.
The Fund is covered under the exemptive relief received by the Fund's investment manager from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission which allows the Fund to distribute capital gains more than once a year for Federal Income Tax purposes.
The amounts and sources of distributions for tax reporting purposes will depend on the Fund's investment experience during its fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. The Fund is subject to U.S. corporate, tax and securities laws. Under U.S. tax accounting rules, the amount of distributable income for each fiscal year depends on the dividend and interest income received, the actual exchange rates during the entire year between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the Fund assets are denominated, and on the aggregate gains and losses realized by the Fund during the entire year. Therefore, the exact amount of distributable income for each fiscal year can only be determined as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year, October 31. However, under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, the Fund is required to estimate and disclose the source of each distribution to shareholders. This estimated distribution composition may vary from quarter to quarter because it may be materially impacted by future realized gains and losses on securities and fluctuations in the value of the currencies in which Fund assets are denominated. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report distributions for federal income tax purposes.
Important Information
The Singapore Fund, Inc. is a closed-end management investment company that seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in Singapore equity securities. The Fund's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "SGF".
International investing entails special risk considerations, including currency fluctuations, lower liquidity, economic and political risks, and difference in accounting methods; these risks are generally heightened for single country funds.
Closed-end funds generally make a one-time initial public offering and then are subsequently traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the NAV of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that a fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Aberdeen Asset Management is the marketing name in the U.S. for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: Aberdeen Asset Management Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited, Aberdeen Asset Management Ltd. and Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Ltd. (collectively, the 'Aberdeen Advisers'). Each of the Aberdeen Advisers is wholly owned by Aberdeen Asset Management PLC. "Aberdeen" is a U.S. registered service mark of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC.
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SOURCE The Singapore Fund, Inc.
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