Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
Note 12. Subsequent Events
Management has evaluated the impact of all subsequent events on the Funds through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that the following events were disclosable:
On July 22, 2024, MFIC completed its previously announced acquisition of AFT. Pursuant to the AFT definitive merger agreement, AFT Merger Sub was first merged with and into AFT, with AFT continuing as the surviving company, and, following the effectiveness of the AFT First Merger, AFT was then merged with and into MFIC, with MFIC continuing as the surviving company. In accordance with the terms of the AFT Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the AFT First Merger, each outstanding share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of AFT was converted into the right to receive 0.9547 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of MFIC. As a result, MFIC issued an aggregate of approximately 14,868,092 shares of its common stock to AFT’s former shareholders. In addition, at the closing of the AFT Mergers, MFIC repaid any amounts outstanding under AFT’s existing credit facility, subject to the conditions set forth in MFIC’s credit facility.
On July 22, 2024, MFIC completed its previously announced acquisition of AIF. Pursuant to the AIF definitive merger agreement, AIF Merger Sub was first merged with and into AIF, with AIF continuing as the surviving company, and, following the effectiveness of the AIF First Merger, AIF was then merged with and into MFIC, with MFIC continuing as the surviving. In accordance with the terms of the AIF Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the AIF First Merger, each outstanding share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of AIF was converted into the right to receive 0.9441 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of MFIC. As a result, MFIC issued an aggregate of approximately 13,658,992 shares of its common stock to AIF’s former shareholders. In addition, at the closing of the AIF Mergers, MFIC repaid any amounts outstanding under AIF’s existing credit facility, subject to the conditions set forth in MFIC’s credit facility.
Distribution Declarations
On July 12, 2024, MFIC announced AIM or its affiliates would make a special cash payment of $0.25 per share to the shareholders of AFT and AIF, which was paid on or around July 22, 2024 to shareholders of record as of July 22, 2024. In addition, on July 21, 2024, the MFIC board of directors declared a special distribution of $0.20 per share of common stock, which will be paid on August 15, 2024 to shareholders of record as of August 5, 2024. The specific tax characteristics of these amounts have not yet been determined, and no assurances can be given regarding the tax treatment to shareholders of the receipt of these amounts.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc. and Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Results of Review of Interim Financial Information
We have reviewed the accompanying consolidated statements of assets and liabilities of Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc. and Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc. (collectively, the “Funds”), including the consolidated schedules of investments, as of June 30, 2024, the related consolidated statements of operations and cash flows for the six-month period then ended, the consolidated statements of changes in net assets for the six month period ended June 30, 2024 and for the year ended December 31, 2023, the consolidated financial highlights for the six month period ended June 30, 2024 and for each of the ten years for the period then ended December 31, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “interim financial information”). Based on our reviews, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the accompanying interim financial information for it to be in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
This interim financial information is the responsibility of the Funds’ management. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Funds in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our review in accordance with standards of the PCAOB. A review of interim financial information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB, the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
New York, New York
August 6, 2024
52 |
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
This section summarizes certain changes since December 31, 2023. This information may not reflect all of the changes that have occurred since you purchased shares of a Fund.
There have been no changes in investment policies since each Fund’s last annual report.
AFT — Investment Objective and Policies:
AFT’s investment objective is to seek current income and preservation of capital. AFT seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in senior, secured loans made to companies whose debt is rated below investment grade (“Senior Loans”) and investments with similar characteristics. Senior Loans typically hold a first lien priority and pay interest at rates that are determined periodically on the basis of a floating base lending rate plus a spread. These base lending rates are the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) and Euro Interbank Offered Rate (“EURIBOR”); however, the synthetic London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or the prime rate offered by one or more major U.S. banks and the certificate of deposit rate used by commercial lenders may also be used. Senior Loans are typically made to U.S. and, to a limited extent,
non-U.S.
corporations, partnerships and other business entities (“Borrower(s)”) that operate in various industries and geographical regions. AFT seeks to generate current income and preservation of capital through a disciplined approach to credit selection and under normal market conditions will invest at least 80% of its “managed assets” in floating rate Senior Loans and investments with similar economic characteristics. The Fund defines “managed assets” as the total assets of the Fund (including any assets attributable to any preferred shares that may be issued or to money borrowed or notes issued by the Fund) minus the sum of the Fund’s accrued liabilities, including accrued interest and accumulated dividends (other than liabilities for money borrowed or notes issued and the liquidation preference of preferred shares).
This 80% policy and AFT’s investment objective are not fundamental and may be changed by the board of directors of AFT with at least 60 days’ prior written notice provided to shareholders. Part of AFT’s investment objective is to seek preservation of capital. AFT’s ability to achieve capital preservation may be limited by its investment in credit instruments that have speculative characteristics. There can be no assurance that AFT will achieve its investment objective.
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in Senior Loans and investments with similar economic characteristics. Senior Loans hold a first lien priority and typically pay interest at rates that are determined periodically on the basis of a floating base lending rate, plus a premium. Borrowers may obtain Senior Loans to, among other reasons, refinance existing debt and for acquisitions, dividends, leveraged buyouts and general corporate purposes. The Fund generally targets investments in recently issued Senior Loans that have structural characteristics, including stronger lender protections, that are more favorable for investors. These Senior Loans provide a minimum coupon (called a “floor”) that helps protect the Fund’s income in falling or flat-rate environments. The Fund may also seek to gain exposure to Senior Loans by investing in swaps, including single name credit default swaps, single name loan credit default swaps, total return swaps, collateralized loan obligations (including synthetic collateralized loan obligations), reverse repurchase agreements and other similar transactions.
The Fund may invest in subordinated loans. The Fund may invest in distressed securities, including loans purchased in the secondary market, that are the subject of bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise in default or at risk of being in default as to the repayment of principal and/or interest at the time of acquisition by the Fund. The Fund may invest in U.S. dollar and
non-U.S.
dollar denominated securities of issuers located anywhere in the world, and of issuers that operate in any industry.
The Fund may invest in debt securities of any maturity, including perpetual securities, and does not manage its portfolio seeking to maintain a targeted dollar-weighted average maturity level. Under normal market conditions, the Adviser expects to maintain an average duration of less than one year (including the effect of anticipated leverage).
The Fund currently utilizes leverage from a credit facility in furtherance of this investment strategy.
In seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, the Adviser actively constructs and manages a portfolio of Senior Loans and other investments. The Adviser’s investment process is rigorous, proactive and continuous. Close
Semi-Annual Report | 53
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
monitoring of each investment in the portfolio provides foresight for making buy, sell and hold decisions. The Adviser utilizes what it believes to be a conservative approach that focuses on credit fundamentals, collateral coverage and structural seniority. The Adviser may also employ a sector analysis to assess industry trends and characteristics that may impact a Borrower’s potential future ability to generate cash, as well as profitability, asset values, financial needs and potential liabilities. The Adviser takes a disciplined approach to its credit investment selection process in which the credit ratings of a Borrower are evaluated but are not considered to be the sole or determinative factor of selection. The criteria used by the Adviser in credit selection may include an evaluation of whether a Senior Loan is adequately collateralized or over-collateralized and whether it is covered by sufficient earnings and cash flow to service the Borrower’s indebtedness on a timely basis. The Adviser expects to gain exposure to Borrowers across a broad range of industries and of varying characteristics and return profiles.
Similar to its investment in Senior Loans and other debt investments, the Adviser adheres to a disciplined approach with respect to the Fund’s investments in structured products, including collateralized loan obligations. The Adviser will seek to select structured products which are well-structured and collateralized by portfolios of primarily Senior Loans that the Adviser believes to be of sufficient quality, diversity and amount to support the structure and fully collateralize the tranche purchased by the Fund. Likewise, the Adviser will evaluate the creditworthiness of counterparties and the investment characteristics of reference assets when causing the Fund to enter into swaps or other derivative transactions.
AIF — Investment Objective and Policies:
AIF’s primary investment objective is to seek current income with a secondary objective of preservation of capital. AIF seeks to achieve its investment objectives primarily by allocating its assets among different types of credit instruments based on absolute and relative value considerations and its analysis of the credit markets. This ability to dynamically allocate AIF’s assets may result in AIF’s portfolio becoming concentrated in a particular type of credit instrument (such as Senior Loans or high yield corporate bonds) and substantially less invested in other types of credit instruments. Under normal market conditions, at least 80% of AIF’s “managed assets” will be invested in credit instruments and investments with similar economic characteristics. For purposes of this policy, “credit instruments” include Senior Loans, subordinated loans, high yield corporate bonds, notes, bills, debentures, distressed securities, mezzanine securities, structured products (including, without limitation, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and asset-backed securities), bank loans, corporate loans, convertible and preferred securities, government and municipal obligations, mortgage-backed securities, repurchase agreements, and other fixed-income instruments of a similar nature that may be represented by derivatives such as options, forwards, futures contracts or swap agreements. The Fund defines “managed assets” as the total assets of the Fund (including any assets attributable to any preferred shares that may be issued or to money borrowed or notes issued by the Fund) minus the sum of the Fund’s accrued liabilities, including accrued interest and accumulated dividends (other than liabilities for money borrowed or notes issued and the liquidation preference of preferred shares).
The 80% policy and AIF’s investment objectives are not fundamental and may be changed by the board of directors of AIF with at least 60 days’ prior written notice provided to shareholders. AIF will seek to preserve capital to the extent consistent with its primary investment objective. AIF’s ability to achieve capital preservation may be limited by its investment in credit instruments that have speculative characteristics. There can be no assurance that AIF will achieve its investment objectives.
Securities Rated Below Caa or CCC
. AIF has adopted a policy to not invest more than 20% of its managed assets in credit instruments that are rated Caa or lower by Moody’s or CCC or lower by S&P or Fitch Ratings Inc. Unrated credit instruments are not subject to this policy.
Structured Products
. AIF has adopted a policy to not invest more than 20% of its managed assets in structured products.
The Adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objectives primarily by allocating the Fund’s assets among different types of credit instruments based on absolute and relative value considerations and its analysis of the credit markets. The Fund’s investments consist primarily of Senior Loans and Corporate Bonds. The Fund, however, has
54 | Semi-Annual Report
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
provided the Adviser with the flexibility to invest in varying types of credit instruments based on its analysis of the credit markets. This ability to dynamically allocate the Fund’s assets may result in the Fund’s portfolio becoming concentrated in a particular type of credit instrument (such as Senior Loans or Corporate Bonds) and substantially less invested in other types of credit instruments.
The Fund may invest in subordinated loans. The Fund may invest in distressed securities, including loans purchased in the secondary market, that are the subject of bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise in default or at risk of being in default as to the repayment of principal and/or interest at the time of acquisition by the Fund. The Fund may make investments in
non-U.S.
entities, including issuers in emerging markets, but expects to make any investments in foreign issuers primarily in U.S. dollar denominated securities.
The Fund reserves the right to invest in credit instruments of any maturity. The Fund reserves the right to invest in credit instruments of any duration. It is anticipated that the duration of the Fund’s portfolio will be lower than that of the overall “junk bond” market. Duration is a measure of how sensitive a bond or the Fund’s portfolio may be to changes in interest rates.
The Fund currently utilizes leverage from a credit facility in furtherance of this investment strategy.
In seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objectives, the Adviser will actively construct and manage a portfolio of credit instruments and other investments. The Adviser will periodically rebalance the Fund’s allocation of assets among different types of credit instruments based on absolute and relative value considerations and its analysis of the credit markets in order to seek to optimize the Fund’s allocation to credit instruments that the Adviser believes are positioned to contribute to the achievement of the Fund’s investment objectives under the market conditions existing at the time of investment.
The Adviser’s investment process is rigorous, proactive and continuous. Close monitoring of each investment in the portfolio provides the basis for making buy, sell and hold decisions. The Adviser utilizes what it believes to be a conservative approach that focuses on credit fundamentals, collateral coverage and structural seniority. The Adviser may also employ a sector analysis to assess industry trends and characteristics that may impact an issuer’s potential future ability to generate cash, as well as profitability, asset values, financial needs and potential liabilities. The Adviser takes a disciplined approach to its credit investment selection process in which the credit ratings of an issuer are evaluated but are not considered to be the sole or determinative factor for selection. The criteria used by the Adviser in credit selection may include an evaluation of whether an issuer’s debts are adequately collateralized or over-collateralized and whether it has sufficient earnings and cash flow to service its indebtedness on a timely basis. The Adviser expects to gain exposure to issuers across a broad range of industries and of varying characteristics and return profiles.
Similar to its investment in other credit instruments, the Adviser adheres to a disciplined approach with respect to the Fund’s investments in structured products. The Adviser will seek to select structured products which are well structured and collateralized by portfolios of credit instruments or other assets that the Adviser believes to be of sufficient quality, diversity and amount to support the structure and fully collateralize the instrument purchased by the Fund. Likewise, the Adviser will evaluate the creditworthiness of counterparties and the investment characteristics of reference assets when causing the Fund to enter into swaps or other derivative transactions.
. Investing in the common shares involves certain risks and the Fund may not be able to achieve its intended results for a variety of reasons, including, among others, the possibility that the Fund may not be able to structure its investments as anticipated. Because the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate, there is a risk that you will lose money. Your investment will decline in value if, among other things, the value of the Fund’s investments decreases. The value of your common shares also will be affected by the Fund’s ability to successfully implement its investment strategy, as well as by market, economic and other conditions. As with any security, complete loss of your investment is possible.
Semi-Annual Report | 55
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
Senior Loans are usually rated below investment grade and may also be unrated. As a result, the risks associated with Senior Loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade fixed income instruments, although Senior Loans are senior and secured, in contrast to other below investment grade fixed income instruments, which are often subordinated or unsecured. Investments in Senior Loans rated below investment grade are considered speculative because of the credit risk of their issuers. Such issuers are considered more likely than investment grade issuers to default on their payments of interest and principal owed to the Fund, and such defaults could reduce the Fund’s net asset value and income distributions. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher
non-payment
rate, and a Senior Loan may lose significant market value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a Senior Loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the Senior Loan’s value. Senior Loans are subject to a number of risks, including liquidity risk and the risk of investing in below investment grade fixed income instruments.
. Global economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, which increases the probabilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Conditions affecting the general economy, including political, social, or economic instability at the local, regional, or global level may also affect the market value of a security. Health crises, such as pandemic and epidemic diseases, as well as other incidents that interrupt the expected course of events, such as natural disasters, war or civil disturbance, acts of terrorism, power outages and other unforeseeable and external events, and the public response to or fear of such diseases or events, may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s investments and net asset value and can lead to increased market volatility. For example, any preventative or protective actions that governments may take in respect of such diseases or events may result in periods of business disruption, inability to obtain raw materials, supplies and component parts, and reduced or disrupted operations for the issuers in which the Fund invests. The occurrence and pendency of such diseases or events could adversely affect the economies and financial markets either in specific countries or worldwide.
Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, significantly amplifying already existing geopolitical tensions. Actual and threatened responses to such military action may impact the markets for certain commodities and various issuers and may likely have collateral impacts on markets globally. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions imposed and other punitive action taken and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in European stock markets and the value of Russian sovereign debt, cannot be easily predicted, but could be significant. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including escalating and more widespread military conflict, purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks may impact global economies and the Fund’s investments in various markets.
In March 2023, the financial distress of certain financial institutions raised economic concerns over disruption in the U.S. banking system and regarding the solvency of certain financial services firms. There can be no certainty that the actions taken by the U.S. government to strengthen public confidence in the U.S. banking system will continue to be effective in mitigating the effects of financial institution failures on the economy and restoring public confidence in the U.S. banking system.
Raising the ceiling on U.S. government debt has become increasingly politicized. Any failure to increase the total amount that the U.S. government is authorized to borrow could lead to a default on U.S. government obligations, with unpredictable consequences for economies and markets in the U.S. and elsewhere. On August 1, 2023, Fitch Ratings, Inc. downgraded its U.S. debt rating from the highest AAA rating to AA+, citing “a high and growing general government debt burden, and the erosion of governance relative to ‘AA’ and ‘AAA’ rated peers over the last two decades that has manifested in repeated debt limit standoffs and last-minute resolutions.” The impacts, if any, of the downgrade on financial markets are unknown at this time. The downgrade has potential market impacts, including but not limited to, steep stock market declines and rising bond yields.
Senior Loans are subject to the risk of
non-payment
of scheduled interest or principal. Such
non-payment
would result in a reduction of income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the investment and a potential decrease in the NAV of the Fund. There can be no assurance that the liquidation of any collateral securing a
56 | Semi-Annual Report
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
Senior Loan would satisfy the Borrower’s obligation in the event of
non-payment
of scheduled interest or principal payments, or that the collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of bankruptcy or insolvency of a Borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a Senior Loan. The collateral securing a Senior Loan may lose all or substantially all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of a Borrower. Some Senior Loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate such Senior Loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the Borrower or take other action detrimental to the holders of Senior Loans including, in certain circumstances, invalidating such Senior Loans or causing interest previously paid to be refunded to the Borrower.
There may be less readily available and reliable information about most Senior Loans than is the case for many other types of securities, including securities issued in transactions registered under the 1933 Act or registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. As a result, the Adviser will rely primarily on its own evaluation of a Borrower’s credit quality, rather than on any available independent sources. Therefore, the Fund will be particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of the Adviser.
In general, the secondary trading market for Senior Loans is not well developed. No active trading market may exist for certain Senior Loans, which may make it difficult to value them. Illiquidity and adverse market conditions may mean that the Fund may not be able to sell Senior Loans quickly or at a fair price. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain Senior Loans, the market for them may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods.
Senior Loans are generally not registered under the 1933 Act and often contain certain restrictions on resale and cannot be sold publicly. Senior Loans often require prepayments from excess cash flow or permit the Borrower to repay at its election. The degree to which Borrowers repay, whether as a contractual requirement or at their election, cannot be predicted with accuracy. As a result, the actual maturity may be substantially less than the stated maturity shown on the Consolidated Schedules of Investments.
The Fund may acquire Senior Loans through assignments or participations. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchaser’s rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution, and the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. In general, a participation is a contractual relationship only with the institution participating out the interest, not with the Borrower. Sellers of participations typically include banks, broker-dealers and other financial and lending institutions. In purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the Borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which they have purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the Borrower and the institution selling the participation. Further, in purchasing participations in lending syndicates, the Fund will not be able to conduct the due diligence on the Borrower or the quality of the Senior Loan with respect to which they are buying a participation that the Fund would otherwise conduct if they were investing directly in the Senior Loan, which may result in the Fund being exposed to greater credit or fraud risk with respect to the Borrower or the Senior Loan.
The Fund may also engage in direct origination of loans. In originating loans, the Fund relies on the Adviser’s proprietary sourcing channels, which targets large corporate and private sponsor-backed issuers. In determining whether to originate a loan, the Fund relies on the Adviser’s analysis of the creditworthiness of a borrower and/or any collateral for payment of interest and repayment of principal. The level of analytical sophistication necessary for conducting this analysis is high and the Adviser must rely more significantly on its own resources to conduct due diligence on borrowers than for secondary market debt purchases. The loans the Fund originates are generally Senior Loans, however the Fund is not limited in the type, amount or size of loans it may originate nor to a particular type of borrower. The Fund will earn origination and other types of borrower fees in connection with originating and structuring loans. Direct loans are not publicly traded and may not have a secondary market. Direct loans are subject to heightened liquidity risk and interest rate risk, and some direct loans may be deemed illiquid. The Fund may also face heightened competition for direct origination, which may result in the Fund being required to make lower yielding investments.
Semi-Annual Report | 57
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
. Subordinated loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in Senior Loans, except that such loans are subordinated in payment and/or lower in lien priority to first lien holders. In the event of default on a subordinated loan, the first priority lien holder has first claim to the underlying collateral of the loan. Subordinated loans are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the Borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior unsecured or senior secured obligations of the Borrower. This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Subordinated loans generally have greater price volatility than Senior Loans and may be less liquid.
Below Investment Grade Securities Risk
. The Fund anticipates that it will invest the majority of its assets in Senior Loans, subordinated loans and other debt instruments that are rated below investment grade.
Non-investment
grade fixed income or convertible securities, often referred to as “junk bonds,” “leveraged loans” or “high yield” securities, are debt securities that are rated below investment grade by the major rating agencies or are unrated securities that the Adviser believes are of comparable quality. While generally providing greater income and opportunity for gain,
non-investment
grade debt securities and similar debt instruments may be subject to greater risks than securities or instruments that have higher credit ratings, including a high risk of default. The credit rating of a high yield security does not necessarily address its market value risk, and ratings may from time to time change, positively or negatively, to reflect developments regarding the issuer’s financial condition. High yield securities and similar instruments often are considered to be speculative with respect to the capacity of the issuer to timely repay principal and pay interest or dividends in accordance with the terms of the obligation and may have more credit risk than higher rated securities. Lower grade securities and similar debt instruments may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns. It is likely that a prolonged or deepening economic recession could adversely affect the ability of Borrowers issuing such securities and similar debt instruments to repay principal and pay interest on the instrument, increase the incidence of default and severely disrupt the market value of the securities and similar debt instruments.
. Some of the loans or debt obligations in which the Fund may invest are “covenant-lite”, which means the loans or obligations contain fewer financial maintenance covenants than other loans or obligations (in some cases, none) and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the borrower’s performance and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. An investment by the Fund in a covenant-lite loan may potentially hinder the ability to reprice credit risk associated with the issuer and reduce the ability to restructure a problematic loan and mitigate potential loss. The Fund may also experience difficulty, expenses or delays in enforcing its rights on its holdings of covenant-lite loans or obligations. As a result of these risks, the Fund’s exposure to losses may be increased, which could result in an adverse impact on the Fund.
. Credit risk is the risk that one or more debt securities in the Fund’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. While a senior position in the capital structure of a Borrower may provide some protection with respect to the Fund’s investments in Senior Loans, losses may still occur because the market value of Senior Loans is affected by the creditworthiness of Borrowers and by general economic and specific industry conditions. To the extent the Fund invests in below investment grade securities, it will be exposed to a greater amount of credit risk than a fund that invests in investment grade securities. The prices of lower grade securities are more sensitive to negative developments, such as a decline in the issuer’s revenues or a general economic downturn, than are the prices of higher grade securities. In addition, the Fund may use credit derivatives that may expose it to additional risk in the event that the securities underlying the derivatives default.
. 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, which may require the Fund to reinvest in lower yielding securities, resulting in a possible decline in the Fund’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 (“Call Protection”). An issuer may redeem a below investment grade security if, for example, the issuer can refinance the debt at a lower cost due to declining interest rates or an improvement in the credit standing of the issuer. Subordinated loans typically do not have Call Protection. For premium bonds (bonds acquired at prices that exceed their par or principal value) purchased by the Fund, prepayment risk may be enhanced.
58 | Semi-Annual Report
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
Senior Loans are subject to prepayment risk and typically do not have Call Protection. The degree to which Borrowers prepay Senior Loans, whether as a contractual requirement or at their election, may be affected by general business conditions, the financial condition of the Borrower and competitive conditions among Senior Loan investors, among others. For these reasons, prepayments cannot be predicted with accuracy. Upon a prepayment, either in part or in full, the outstanding debt on which the Fund derives interest income will be reduced. The Fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds received on terms as favorable as the prepaid loan.
. The market price of the Fund’s investments will change in response to changes in interest rates and other factors. During periods of declining interest rates, the market price of fixed rate instruments generally rises. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the market price of such instruments generally declines. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of fixed rate credit instruments is generally greater for instruments with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. In addition, some credit instruments may allow an issuer to opt between SOFR-based interest rates and interest rates based on bank prime rates, which may have an effect on the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may utilize certain strategies, including investments in swaps, for the purpose of reducing the interest rate sensitivity of the portfolio and decreasing the Fund’s exposure to interest rate risk, although there is no assurance that it will do so or that such strategies, if utilized, will be successful.
. The Fund may invest in financial instruments that recently transitioned from using or continue to use a floating rate based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), which is the offered rate for short-term Eurodollar deposits between major international banks. The United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced a phase out of LIBOR such that after June 30, 2023, the overnight, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and 12-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings ceased to be published or are no longer representative. All other LIBOR settings and certain other interbank offered rates, such as the Euro Overnight Index Average, ceased to be published after December 31, 2021. The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. On March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law, providing a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the Adjustable Interest Rate Act by identifying benchmark rates based on the SOFR that replaced LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. These regulations apply only to contracts governed by U.S. law, among other limitations.
The FCA will permit the use of synthetic U.S. dollar LIBOR rates for non-U.S. contracts through September 30, 2024, but such rates would be considered non-representative of the underlying market.
Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. Not all existing LIBOR-based instruments may have alternative rate-setting provisions and there remains uncertainty regarding the willingness and ability of issuers to add alternative rate-setting provisions in certain existing instruments. Parties to contract, securities or other instruments using LIBOR may disagree on transition rates or the application of applicable transition regulation, potentially resulting in uncertainty of performance and the possibility of litigation. The Fund may have instruments linked to other interbank offered rates that may also cease to be published in the future.
. The Fund generally considers “illiquid securities” to be securities that cannot be sold within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value used by the Fund in determining its net asset value. The Fund may not be able to readily dispose of such securities at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell the securities if they were more widely-traded and, as a result of that illiquidity, the Fund 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 securities, thereby adversely affecting the Fund’s net asset value and ability to make dividend distributions.
Some Senior Loans are not readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. Senior Loans generally are not listed on any national securities exchange and no active trading market may exist for the Senior Loans in which the
Semi-Annual Report | 59
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
Fund may invest. When a secondary market exists, if at all, the market for some Senior Loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. The Fund has no limitation on the amount of its assets that may be invested in securities that are not readily marketable or are subject to restrictions on resale.
Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk
. The Fund may invest in securities, including loans purchased in the secondary market, that are the subject of bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise in default or at risk of being in default as to the repayment of principal and/or interest at the time of acquisition by the Fund. Investment in these distressed securities is speculative and involves significant risks.
. The Fund uses leverage and may utilize leverage to the maximum extent permitted by law for investment and other general corporate purposes. The Fund may obtain leverage by issuing preferred shares and/or notes and it may also borrow funds from banks and other financial institutions. The Fund may also gain leverage synthetically through swaps and other derivatives. The use of leverage to purchase additional securities creates an opportunity for increased common share dividends, but also creates risks for common shareholders, including increased variability of the Fund’s net income, distributions and/or net asset value in relation to market changes. Leverage is a speculative technique that exposes the Fund to greater risk and increased costs than if it were not implemented. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified if the Fund uses leverage. In particular, leverage may magnify interest rate risk, which is the risk that the prices of portfolio securities will fall (or rise) if market interest rates for those types of securities rise (or fall). As a result, leverage may cause greater changes in the Fund’s net asset value, which will be borne entirely by the Fund’s common shareholders. To the extent that the Fund makes investments in Senior Loans or other debt instruments structured with interest rate floors, the Fund will not realize additional income if rates increase to levels below the interest rate floor but the Fund’s cost of financing is expected to increase, resulting in the potential for a decrease in the level of income available for dividends or distributions made by the Fund. If the Fund issues preferred shares and/or notes or engages in other borrowings, it will have to pay dividends on its shares or interest on its notes or borrowings, which will increase expenses and may reduce the Fund’s return. These dividend payments or interest expenses (which will be borne entirely by common shareholders) may be greater than the Fund’s return on the underlying investments. The Fund’s leveraging strategy may not be successful.
Closed-End
Structure; Market Discount from Net Asset Value
. Shares of
closed-end
investment companies that trade in a secondary market frequently trade at market prices that are lower than their net asset values. This is commonly referred to as “trading at a discount.” As a result, the Fund is designed primarily for long-term investors. Although the value of the Fund’s net assets is generally considered by market participants in determining whether to purchase or sell shares, whether an investor will realize gains or losses upon the sale of the shares will depend entirely upon whether the market price of the shares at the time of sale is above or below the investor’s purchase price for the shares. Because the market price of the shares will be determined by factors such as relative supply of and demand for the shares in the market, general market and economic conditions, and other factors beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund cannot predict whether the shares will trade at, below or above net asset value. As with any security, complete loss of investment is possible.
. The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or 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 liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, leverage risk, counterparty risk, tax risk, and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing, the risk of unfavorable or ambiguous documentation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. A Fund’s use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by common shareholders.
. Investing in the common shares involves certain risks and the Fund may not be able to achieve its intended results for a variety of reasons, including, among others, the possibility that the Fund may not be able to structure its investments as anticipated. Because the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate, there is a risk that you will lose money. Your investment will decline in value if, among other things, the value of the Fund’s investments decreases. The value of your common shares also will be affected by the Fund’s ability to successfully
60 | Semi-Annual Report
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
implement its investment strategy, as well as by market, economic and other conditions. As with any security, complete loss of your investment is possible.
. Global economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, which increases the probabilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Conditions affecting the general economy, including political, social, or economic instability at the local, regional, or global level may also affect the market value of a security. Health crises, such as pandemic and epidemic diseases, as well as other incidents that interrupt the expected course of events, such as natural disasters, war or civil disturbance, acts of terrorism, power outages and other unforeseeable and external events, and the public response to or fear of such diseases or events, may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s investments and net asset value and can lead to increased market volatility. For example, any preventative or protective actions that governments may take in respect of such diseases or events may result in periods of business disruption, inability to obtain raw materials, supplies and component parts, and reduced or disrupted operations for the issuers in which the Fund invests. The occurrence and pendency of such diseases or events could adversely affect the economies and financial markets either in specific countries or worldwide.
Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, significantly amplifying already existing geopolitical tensions. Actual and threatened responses to such military action may impact the markets for certain commodities and various issuers and may likely have collateral impacts on markets globally. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions imposed and other punitive action taken and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in European stock markets and the value of Russian sovereign debt, cannot be easily predicted, but could be significant. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including escalating and more widespread military conflict, purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks may impact global economies and the Fund’s investments in various markets.
In March 2023, the financial distress of certain financial institutions raised economic concerns over disruption in the U.S. banking system and regarding the solvency of certain financial services firms. There can be no certainty that the actions taken by the U.S. government to strengthen public confidence in the U.S. banking system will continue to be effective in mitigating the effects of financial institution failures on the economy and restoring public confidence in the U.S. banking system.
Raising the ceiling on U.S. government debt has become increasingly politicized. Any failure to increase the total amount that the U.S. government is authorized to borrow could lead to a default on U.S. government obligations, with unpredictable consequences for economies and markets in the U.S. and elsewhere. On August 1, 2023, Fitch Ratings, Inc. downgraded its U.S. debt rating from the highest AAA rating to AA+, citing “a high and growing general government debt burden, and the erosion of governance relative to ‘AA’ and ‘AAA’ rated peers over the last two decades that has manifested in repeated debt limit standoffs and last-minute resolutions.” The impacts, if any, of the downgrade on financial markets are unknown at this time. The downgrade has potential market impacts, including but not limited to, steep stock market declines and rising bond yields.
Below Investment Grade Instruments Risk.
The Fund’s investments in below investment grade quality securities and instruments (commonly referred to as “high yield” securities, “junk bonds” or “leveraged loans”) are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligations and involve major risk exposure to adverse conditions. Credit instruments rated below investment grade generally offer a higher current yield than that available from higher rated securities, but typically involve greater risk. These investments are especially sensitive to adverse changes in general economic conditions, to changes in the financial condition of their issuers and to price fluctuation in response to changes in interest rates. During periods of economic downturn or rising interest rates, issuers of below investment grade instruments may experience financial stress that could adversely affect their ability to make payments of principal and interest on their obligations and increase the possibility of default. The secondary market for high yield instruments may not be as liquid as the secondary market for more highly rated instruments, a factor that may have an adverse effect on
Semi-Annual Report | 61
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
the Fund’s ability to dispose of a particular high yield security. There are fewer dealers in the market for high yield instruments than for investment grade obligations. The prices quoted by different dealers may vary significantly and the spread between the bid and ask price is generally much larger for high yield instruments than for higher quality instruments. Under continuing adverse market or economic conditions, the secondary market for high yield instruments could contract further, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer, and these instruments may become illiquid. In addition, adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may also decrease the market values and liquidity of below investment grade instruments, especially in a market characterized by a low volume of trading.
Default, or the market’s perception that an issuer is likely to default, could reduce the value and liquidity of instruments held by the Fund, which could have a material adverse impact on the Fund’s business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, default may cause the Fund to incur expenses in seeking recovery of principal and/or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities or other instruments with a value less than its original investment and/or may be subject to restrictions on the sale of such securities or instruments. Among the risks inherent in investments in a troubled entity is the fact that it frequently may be difficult to obtain information as to the true financial condition of the issuer. The Adviser’s judgment about the credit quality of an issuer and the relative value of its securities may prove to be wrong. Investments in below investment grade instruments may present special tax issues for the Fund to the extent that the issuers of these instruments default on the instruments, and the federal income tax consequences to the Fund as a holder of such instruments may not be clear.
. Some of the loans or debt obligations in which the Fund may invest are “covenant-lite”, which means the loans or obligations contain fewer financial maintenance covenants than other loans or obligations (in some cases, none) and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the borrower’s performance and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. An investment by the Fund in a covenant-lite loan may potentially hinder the ability to reprice credit risk associated with the issuer and reduce the ability to restructure a problematic loan and mitigate potential loss. The Fund may also experience difficulty, expenses or delays in enforcing its rights on its holdings of covenant-lite loans or obligations. As a result of these risks, the Fund’s exposure to losses may be increased, which could result in an adverse impact on the Fund.
Fixed Income Instrument Risk
. In addition to the other risks described herein, fixed income credit instruments, including high yield securities, are also subject to certain risks, including:
. The value of credit instruments may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services.
. Credit risk is the risk that one or more debt securities in the Fund’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. The prices of lower grade securities generally are more sensitive to negative developments, such as a decline in the issuer’s revenues or a general economic downturn, than are the prices of higher grade securities.
. The market price of the Fund’s investments will change in response to changes in interest rates and other factors. During periods of declining interest rates, the market price of fixed rate instruments generally rises. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the market price of such instruments generally declines. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of fixed rate credit instruments is generally greater for instruments with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. In addition, some credit instruments may allow an issuer to opt between SOFR-based interest rates and interest rates based on bank prime rates, which may have an effect on the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may utilize certain strategies, including investments in swaps, for the purpose of reducing the interest rate sensitivity of the portfolio and decreasing the Fund’s exposure to interest rate risk, although there is no assurance that it will do so or that such strategies, if utilized, will be successful.
62 | Semi-Annual Report
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
. Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline if and when the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called fixed income instruments at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate. A decline in income could affect the market price of the Fund’s common stock or its overall return.
. Wider credit spreads and decreasing market values typically reflect a deterioration of a fixed income instrument’s credit soundness and a perceived greater likelihood or risk of default by the issuer. Fixed income instruments generally compensate for greater credit risk by paying interest at a higher rate. The difference (or “spread”) between the yield of a security and the yield of a benchmark, such as a U.S. Treasury security with a comparable maturity, measures the additional interest paid for credit risk. As the spread on a security widens (or increases), the price (or value) of the security generally falls. In addition to spreads widening due to greater credit risk with respect to a particular security, spread widening may also occur, among other reasons, as a result of market concerns over the stability of the market, excess supply, general credit concerns in other markets, market-specific credit concerns or general reductions in risk tolerance.
. During periods of declining interest rates, the issuer of a credit instrument may exercise its option to prepay principal earlier than scheduled, forcing the Fund to reinvest the proceeds from such prepayment in lower yielding instruments, which may result in a decline in the Fund’s income and distributions to common shareholders. This is known as prepayment or “call” risk. Credit instruments frequently have call features that allow the issuer to redeem the instrument at dates prior to its stated maturity at a specified price (typically greater than par) only if certain prescribed conditions are met (“call protection”). An issuer may choose to redeem a fixed income instrument if, for example, the issuer can refinance the instrument at a lower cost due to declining interest rates or an improvement in the credit standing of the issuer. For premium bonds (bonds acquired at prices that exceed their par or principal value) purchased by the Fund, prepayment risk may be increased and may result in losses to the Fund.
. Senior Loans are usually rated below investment grade and may also be unrated. As a result, the risks associated with Senior Loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade fixed income instruments, although Senior Loans are senior and secured, in contrast to other below investment grade fixed income instruments, which are often subordinated or unsecured. Any specific collateral used to secure a Senior Loan, however, may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the Senior Loan’s value.
There may be less readily available and reliable information about most Senior Loans than is the case for many other types of securities, including securities issued in transactions registered under the 1933 Act, or registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. As a result, the Adviser will rely primarily on its own evaluation of a borrower’s credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. Therefore, the Fund will be particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of the Adviser.
In general, the secondary trading market for Senior Loans is not well developed. No active trading market may exist for certain Senior Loans, which may make it difficult to value them. Illiquidity and adverse market conditions may mean that the Fund may not be able to sell Senior Loans quickly or at a fair price. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain Senior Loans, the market for them may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods.
Senior Loans and other variable rate debt instruments are subject to the risk of payment defaults of scheduled interest or principal. Such payment defaults would result in a reduction of income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the investment and a potential decrease in the net asset value of the Fund. Similarly, a sudden and significant increase in market interest rates may increase the risk for payment defaults and cause a decline in the value of these investments and in the Fund’s net asset value. Other factors (including, but not limited to, rating downgrades, credit deterioration, a large downward movement in stock prices, a disparity in supply and demand of certain securities or market conditions that reduce liquidity) can reduce the value of Senior Loans and other debt obligations, impairing the Fund’s net asset value.
Semi-Annual Report | 63
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
Senior Loans are subject to legislative risk. If legislation or state or federal regulations impose additional requirements or restrictions on the ability of financial institutions to make loans, the availability of Senior Loans for investment by the Fund may be adversely affected. In addition, such requirements or restrictions could reduce or eliminate sources of financing for certain issuers. This would increase the risk of default. If legislation or federal or state regulations require financial institutions to increase their capital requirements, this may cause financial institutions to dispose of Senior Loans that are considered highly levered transactions. Such sales could result in prices that, in the opinion of the Adviser, do not represent fair value. If the Fund attempts to sell a Senior Loan at a time when a financial institution is engaging in such a sale, the price the Fund could receive for the Senior Loan may be adversely affected.
The Fund may acquire Senior Loans through assignments or participations. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchaser’s rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution, and the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. In general, a participation is a contractual relationship only with the institution participating out the interest, not with the borrower. Sellers of participations typically include banks, broker-dealers, other financial institutions and lending institutions. In purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation. Further, in purchasing participations in lending syndicates, the Fund will not be able to conduct the due diligence on the borrower
or the quality of the Senior Loan with respect to which it is buying a participation that the Fund would otherwise conduct if it were investing directly in the Senior Loan, which may result in the Fund being exposed to greater credit or fraud risk with respect to the borrower or the Senior Loan.
The Fund may also engage in direct origination of loans. In originating loans, the Fund relies on the Adviser’s proprietary sourcing channels, which targets large corporate and private sponsor-backed issuers. In determining whether to originate a loan, the Fund relies on the Adviser’s analysis of the creditworthiness of a borrower and/or any collateral for payment of interest and repayment of principal. The level of analytical sophistication necessary for conducting this analysis is high and the Adviser must rely more significantly on its own resources to conduct due diligence on borrowers than for secondary market debt purchases. The loans the Fund originates are generally Senior Loans, however the Fund is not limited in the type, amount or size of loans it may originate nor to a particular type of borrower. The Fund will earn origination and other types of borrower fees in connection with originating and structuring loans. Direct loans are not publicly traded and may not have a secondary market. Direct loans are subject to heightened liquidity risk and interest rate risk, and some direct loans may be deemed illiquid. The Fund may also face heightened competition for direct origination, which may result in the Fund being required to make lower yielding
investments
.
. Subordinated loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in Senior Loans, except that such loans are subordinated in payment and/or lower in lien priority to first lien holders. In the event of default on a subordinated loan, the first priority lien holder has first claim to the underlying collateral of the loan. These loans are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior unsecured or senior secured obligations of the borrower. This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt that is not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Subordinated loans generally have greater price volatility than Senior Loans and may be less liquid.
Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk.
The Fund may invest in securities that are the subject of bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise in default or at risk of being in default as to the repayment of principal and/or interest at the time of acquisition by the Fund. Investment in these distressed securities is speculative and involves significant risks.
. The Fund uses leverage and may utilize leverage to the maximum extent permitted by law for investment and other general corporate purposes. The Fund may obtain leverage by issuing preferred shares and/or notes and it may also borrow funds from banks and other financial institutions. The Fund may also gain leverage
64 | Semi-Annual Report
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)
synthetically through swaps and other derivatives. The use of leverage to purchase additional securities creates an opportunity for increased common share dividends, but also creates risks for common shareholders, including increased variability of the Fund’s net income, distributions and/or net asset value in relation to market changes. Leverage is a speculative technique that exposes the Fund to greater risk and increased costs than if it were not implemented. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified if the Fund uses leverage. In particular, leverage may magnify interest rate risk, which is the risk that the prices of portfolio securities will fall (or rise) if market interest rates for those types of securities rise (or fall). As a result, leverage may cause greater changes in the Fund’s net asset value, which will be borne entirely by the Fund’s common shareholders. To the extent that the Fund makes investments in Senior Loans or other debt instruments structured with interest rate floors, the Fund will not realize additional income if rates increase to levels below the interest rate floor but the Fund’s cost of financing is expected to increase, resulting in the potential for a decrease in the level of income available for dividends or distributions made by the Fund. If the Fund issues preferred shares and/or notes or engages in other borrowings, it will have to pay dividends on its shares or interest on its notes or borrowings, which will increase expenses and may reduce the Fund’s return. These dividend payments or interest expenses (which will be borne entirely by common shareholders) may be greater than the Fund’s return on the underlying investments. The Fund’s leveraging strategy may not be successful.
. The Fund may invest in financial instruments that recently transitioned from using or continue to use a floating rate based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), which is the offered rate for short-term Eurodollar deposits between major international banks. The United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced a phase out of LIBOR such that after June 30, 2023, the overnight, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and 12-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings ceased to be published or are no longer representative. All other LIBOR settings and certain other interbank offered rates, such as the Euro Overnight Index Average, ceased to be published after December 31, 2021. The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. On March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law, providing a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the Adjustable Interest Rate Act by identifying benchmark rates based on the SOFR that replaced LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. These regulations apply only to contracts governed by U.S. law, among other limitations.
The FCA will permit the use of synthetic U.S. dollar LIBOR rates for non-U.S. contracts through September 30, 2024, but such rates would be considered non-representative of the underlying market.
Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. Not all existing LIBOR-based instruments may have alternative rate-setting provisions and there remains uncertainty regarding the willingness and ability of issuers to add alternative rate-setting provisions in certain existing instruments. Parties to contract, securities or other instruments using LIBOR may disagree on transition rates or the application of applicable transition regulation, potentially resulting in uncertainty of performance and the possibility of litigation. The Fund may have instruments linked to other interbank offered rates that may also cease to be published in the future.
Closed-End
Structure; Market Discount from Net Asset Value
. Shares of
closed-end
investment companies that trade in a secondary market frequently trade at market prices that are lower than their net asset values. This is commonly referred to as “trading at a discount.” As a result, the Fund is designed primarily for long-term investors. Although the value of the Fund’s net assets is generally considered by market participants in determining whether to purchase or sell shares, whether an investor will realize gains or losses upon the sale of the shares will depend entirely upon whether the market price of the shares at the time of sale is above or below the investor’s purchase price for the shares. Because the market price of the shares will be determined by factors such as relative supply of and demand for the shares in the market, general market and economic conditions, and other factors beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund cannot predict whether the shares will trade at, below or above net asset value. As with any security, complete loss of investment is
possible
.
Semi-Annual Report | 65
Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund Inc.
Apollo Tactical Income Fund Inc.
Fund Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks (continued)
June 30, 2024 (unaudited)