N-CSRS 1 aberdeen-ncsrs_043021.htm CERTIFIED SEMI-ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER REPORT

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM N-CSR

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF

REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

Investment Company Act file number: 811-06652
   
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter: Aberdeen Investment Funds
   
Address of principal executive offices: 1900 Market Street, Suite 200
  Philadelphia, PA 19103
   
Name and address of agent for service: Ms. Andrea Melia
  Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc.
  1900 Market Street, Suite 200
  Philadelphia, PA 19103
   
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 866-667-9231
   
Date of fiscal year end: October 31
   
Date of reporting period: April 30, 2021

 

 

 

Item 1. Reports to Shareholders.

 

(a) A copy of the report transmitted to shareholders pursuant to Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) is filed herewith.

 

(b) Not applicable.

 

 

 

 

Aberdeen Investment Funds

Semi-Annual Report

April 30, 2021

Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund

Class A – BJBIX Institutional Class – JIEIX

Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund

Class A – JETAX Institutional Class – JETIX

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

Class A – BJBGX Institutional Class – JBGIX

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

Class A – BJBHX Institutional Class – JHYIX

Table of Contents

 

 

Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund

Page 1

 

Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund

Page 5

 

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

Page 9

 

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

Page 18

 

Financial Statements

Page 26

 

Notes to Financial Statements

Page 38

 

Shareholder Expense Examples

Page 58

 

Liquidity Risk Management Program

Page 59

Investors should carefully consider a fund’s investment objectives, risks, fees, charges and expenses before investing any money. To obtain this and other fund information, please call 866-667-9231 to request a prospectus, or download a prospectus at www.aberdeen-asset.us. Please read it carefully before investing any money.

Investing in mutual funds involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

Aberdeen Investment Funds is distributed by Aberdeen Fund Distributors LLC, Member FINRA, 1900 Market Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. (“ASII”) has been registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 since August 23, 1995.

Statement Regarding Availability of Quarterly Portfolio Schedule.

The complete schedule of portfolio holdings for each fund of Aberdeen Investment Funds (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) is included in the Funds’ semi-annual and annual reports to shareholders. Aberdeen Investment Funds also files complete schedules of portfolio holdings for each Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Funds’ Form N-PORT filings are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov and the Funds make the information on the exhibit to Form N-PORT available to shareholders upon request without change by calling 1-866-667-9231.

Statement Regarding Availability of Proxy Voting Record.

Information regarding the policies and procedures that the Funds use to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-866-667-9231. The information is also included in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information, which is available on the Funds’ website at www.aberdeen-asset.us and on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

Information relating to how each Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held during the most recent twelve months ended June 30 is available by August 30 of the relevant year: (i) upon request and without charge by calling 1-866-667-9231; and (ii) on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  1

Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund (Unaudited)

Average Annual Total Return
(For periods ended April 30, 2021)*

Six Month

1 Yr.

5 Yr.

10 Yr.

Class A

22.06%

46.31%

10.48%

2.52%

Institutional Class

22.25%

46.72%

10.75%

2.78%

*Performance shown for periods after December 16, 2016 reflect the Fund’s receipt of payment from some European jurisdictions related to prior years (2005-2008) in accordance with European Union law under Article 63 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (the “Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims”). The receipt of these extraordinary payments increased the Fund’s performance for all periods that include December 2016, February 2017, July 2017, October 2017, February 2019, March 2019 and September 2019 in a manner that may not recur in the future, and the Fund’s performance was significantly higher than it would have been absent receipt of the Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims. For Class A, the average annual total return excluding the receipt of Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims was 24.30%, 51.21%, 8.03%, and 1.38%, respectively, for the 6-month, 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year periods ended April 30, 2021. For Institutional Class, the average annual total return excluding the receipt of Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims was 24.54%, 51.71%, 8.25%, and 1.62%, respectively, for the 6-month, 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year periods ended April 30, 2021.There can be no assurance that the Fund will receive additional Article 63 EU Tax Reclaim payments or maintain this level of performance in the future. Please see Note 2(g) and the Fund’s prospectus dated February 26, 2021 for further information.

Not annualized

Performance of a $10,000 Investment (as of April 30, 2021)

Comparative performance of $10,000 invested in Class A shares of the Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund, Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World ex-USA

Index (ACWI ex-USA) (net dividends) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a 10-year period ended April 30, 2021. Unlike the Fund’s returns, the returns for these unmanaged indexes do not reflect any fees or expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in market indexes.

The MSCI ACWI ex-USA Index (net dividends) captures large and mid-cap representation across 22 of 23 Developed Markets (DM) countries (excluding the United States (U.S.) and 27 Emerging Markets (EM) countries). With 2,359 constituents, the index covers approximately 85% of the global equity opportunity set outside the U.S. The MSCI All Country World ex-USA Index (Net Dividends) is calculated net of withholding taxes to which the Fund is generally subject.

The CPI is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.


Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and when redeemed, shares may be worth more or less than original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The Average Annual Total Return table and performance graph do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Investing in mutual funds involves market risk, including loss of principal. Performance returns assume the reinvestment of all distributions. Performance returns reflect fee waivers and reimbursements in effect without which returns would have been lower.

2  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund (Unaudited)

Portfolio Summary (as a percentage of net assets)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Asset Allocation

Common Stocks

105.8%

Short-Term Investment

1.1%

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets

(6.9)%

 

100.0%

The following table summarizes the composition of the Fund’s portfolio, in S&P Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) sectors, expressed as a percentage of net assets as of April 30, 2021.

Top Sectors

Industrials

22.3%

Health Care

20.6%

Information Technology

16.9%

Financials

12.8%

Consumer Staples

11.7%

Materials

9.0%

Consumer Discretionary

7.0%

Utilities

2.8%

Real Estate

2.7%

Other

(5.8)%

 

100.0%

Top Holdings*

AIA Group Ltd. 

3.6%

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., ADR 

3.6%

Genmab AS 

3.4%

Cochlear Ltd. 

3.4%

Nestle SA 

3.3%

L’Oreal SA 

3.3%

Croda International PLC 

3.3%

Koninklijke DSM NV 

3.2%

CSL Ltd. 

3.2%

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp. Ltd. 

2.9%

Other

66.8%

 

100.0%

*For the purpose of listing top holdings, Short-Term Investments are included as part of Other.

Top Countries

United Kingdom

13.5%

Australia

9.2%

Japan

9.1%

Denmark

8.9%

Netherlands

8.6%

France

6.1%

Taiwan

6.0%

New Zealand

5.0%

Brazil

4.9%

India

4.9%

Other

23.8%

 

100.0%


2021 Semi-Annual Report  3

Statement of Investments

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 

COMMON STOCKS (105.8%)

AUSTRALIA (9.2%)

Health Care (6.5%)

Cochlear Ltd.

27,099

$4,638,800

CSL Ltd.

21,200

4,428,561

 

9,067,361

Real Estate (2.7%)

Goodman Group, REIT

257,000

3,747,718

 

12,815,079

BRAZIL (4.9%)

Consumer Discretionary (2.0%)

MercadoLibre, Inc.(a)

1,800

2,827,764

Consumer Staples (2.9%)

Raia Drogasil SA

831,600

4,026,303

 

6,854,067

CANADA (2.3%)

Industrials (2.3%)

Ritchie Bros Auctioneers, Inc.

50,100

3,187,015

CHINA (4.0%)

Health Care (2.9%)

Wuxi Biologics Cayman, Inc.(a)(b)

284,000

3,986,733

Industrials (1.1%)

Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co. Ltd., H Shares

986,200

1,624,935

 

5,611,668

DENMARK (8.9%)

Health Care (3.4%)

Genmab AS(a)

12,900

4,733,810

Information Technology (2.7%)

SimCorp A/S

28,600

3,781,474

Utilities (2.8%)

Orsted AS(b)

26,700

3,881,242

 

12,396,526

FRANCE (6.1%)

Consumer Staples (3.3%)

L’Oreal SA

11,200

4,586,063

Industrials (2.8%)

Schneider Electric SE

24,000

3,829,338

 

8,415,401

GERMANY (2.7%)

Financials (2.7%)

Deutsche Boerse AG

21,400

3,687,761

HONG KONG (3.6%)

Financials (3.6%)

AIA Group Ltd.

394,600

5,008,489

INDIA (4.9%)

Financials (2.4%)

Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd.

99,600

3,261,125

Materials (2.5%)

Asian Paints Ltd.

103,600

3,531,995

 

6,793,120

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 

ISRAEL (4.5%)

Consumer Staples (2.2%)

Strauss Group Ltd.

103,100

$3,011,939

Industrials (2.3%)

Kornit Digital Ltd.(a)

32,900

3,216,304

 

6,228,243

ITALY (2.4%)

Consumer Discretionary (2.4%)

Brunello Cucinelli SpA(a)

64,800

3,298,531

JAPAN (9.1%)

Health Care (2.3%)

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

85,900

3,224,248

Industrials (4.0%)

Nabtesco Corp.

63,900

2,875,470

Nihon M&A Center, Inc.

102,400

2,675,174

 

5,550,644

Information Technology (2.8%)

Keyence Corp.

7,900

3,792,416

 

12,567,308

LATVIA (0.0%)

Financials (0.0%)

AS Parex Banka(a)(c)(d)(e)

1,424,182

2

NETHERLANDS (8.6%)

Information Technology (5.4%)

Adyen NV(a)(b)

1,450

3,568,585

ASML Holding NV

5,900

3,829,935

 

7,398,520

Materials (3.2%)

Koninklijke DSM NV

24,865

4,458,293

 

11,856,813

NEW ZEALAND (5.0%)

Health Care (3.0%)

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp. Ltd.

157,700

4,083,790

Industrials (2.0%)

Auckland International Airport Ltd.(a)

518,500

2,804,076

 

6,887,866

SINGAPORE (1.6%)

Financials (1.6%)

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. Ltd.

246,000

2,248,815

SPAIN (2.6%)

Consumer Discretionary (2.6%)

Industria de Diseno Textil SA

99,900

3,554,510

SWEDEN (2.6%)

Industrials (2.6%)

Atlas Copco AB, A Shares

59,100

3,583,827

SWITZERLAND (3.3%)

Consumer Staples (3.3%)

Nestle SA

38,710

4,619,291

TAIWAN (6.0%)

Industrials (2.5%)

Voltronic Power Technology Corp.

75,000

3,408,766


4  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statement of Investments (concluded)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 

COMMON STOCKS (continued)

Information Technology (3.5%)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., ADR

42,100

$4,914,754

 

8,323,520

UNITED KINGDOM (13.5%)

Financials (2.5%)

London Stock Exchange Group PLC

34,200

3,494,154

Health Care (2.5%)

Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC

61,700

3,437,402

Industrials (2.7%)

Spirax-Sarco Engineering PLC

22,600

3,688,859

Information Technology (2.5%)

AVEVA Group PLC

72,200

3,470,032

Materials (3.3%)

Croda International PLC

48,800

4,558,890

 

18,649,337

Total Common Stocks

146,587,189

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT—1.1%

UNITED STATES (1.1%)

State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Premier Class, 0.03%(f)

1,476,888

1,476,888

Total Short-Term Investment

1,476,888

Total Investments
(Cost $140,772,099) (g)—106.9%

148,064,077

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets—(6.9)% 

(9,587,031)

Net Assets—100.0%

$138,477,046

(a)Non-income producing security.

(b)Denotes a security issued under Regulation S or Rule 144A.

(c)Illiquid security.

(d)The Fund’s adviser has deemed this security to be illiquid based upon procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. Illiquid securities held by the Fund represent 0.00% of net assets as of April 30, 2021.

(e)Level 3 security. See Note 2(a) of the accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

(f)Registered investment company advised by State Street Global Advisors. The rate shown is the 7 day yield as of April 30, 2021.

(g)See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements for tax unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) of securities.

ADRAmerican Depositary Receipt

PLCPublic Limited Company

REITReal Estate Investment Trust

2021 Semi-Annual Report  5

Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund (Unaudited)

Average Annual Total Return
(For periods ended October 31, 2020)*

Six
Month

1 Yr.

5 Yr.

10 Yr.

Class A

27.58%

52.81%

13.95%

4.47%

Institutional Class

27.71%

53.30%

14.25%

4.74%

*Performance shown for periods after February 1, 2017 reflect the Fund’s receipt of payment from some European jurisdictions related to prior years (2005-2009) in accordance with European Union law under Article 63 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (the “Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims”). The receipt of these extraordinary payments increased the Fund’s performance for all periods that include February 2017, October 2017, August 2018, February 2019 and September 2019 in a manner that may not recur in the future, and the Fund’s performance was significantly higher than it would have been absent receipt of the Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims. For Class A, the average annual total return excluding the receipt of Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims was 29.23%, 56.06%, 12.88%, and 3.97%, respectively, for the 6-month, 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year periods ended April 30, 2021. For Institutional Class, the average annual total return excluding the receipt of Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims was 29.39%, 56.33%, 13.17%, and 4.24%, respectively, for the 6-month, 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year periods ended April 30, 2021.There can be no assurance that the Fund will receive additional Article 63 EU Tax Reclaim payments or maintain this level of performance in the future. Please see the Fund’s prospectus dated February 26, 2021 for further information.

Not annualized

Performance of a $10,000 Investment (as of April 30, 2021)

Comparative performance of $10,000 invested in Class A shares of the Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund, Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World Index (ACWI) (net dividends) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a 10-year period ended

April 30, 2021. Unlike the Fund’s returns, the returns for these unmanaged indexes do not reflect any fees or expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in market indexes.

The MSCI ACWI is an unmanaged index considered representative of developed and emerging market stock markets.

MSCI ACWI captures large and mid-cap representation across 23 Developed Markets (DM) and 27 Emerging Markets (EM) countries. With 2,986 constituents, the index covers approximately 85% of the global investable equity opportunity set. The MSCI All Country World Index (Net Dividends) is calculated net of withholding taxes to which the Fund is generally subject.

The CPI is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.


Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and when redeemed, shares may be worth more or less than original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The Average Annual Total Return table and performance graph do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Investing in mutual funds involves market risk, including loss of principal. Performance returns assume the reinvestment of all distributions. Performance returns reflect fee waivers and reimbursements in effect without which returns would have been lower.

6  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund (Unaudited)

Portfolio Summary (as a percentage of net assets)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Asset Allocation

Common Stocks

101.7%

Short-Term Investment

1.6%

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets

(3.3)%

 

100.0%

The following table summarizes the composition of the Fund’s portfolio, in S&P Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) sectors, expressed as a percentage of net assets as of April 30, 2021.

Top Sectors

Industrials

29.9%

*

Health Care

17.0%

Information Technology

16.4%

Financials

10.3%

Real Estate

9.1%

Materials

7.2%

Utilities

4.7%

Consumer Discretionary

3.8%

Communication Services

3.3%

Other

(1.7)%

 

100.0%

*The sectors, as classified by GICS, are comprised of several industries. As of April 30, 2021, the Fund’s holdings in the Industrials sector were allocated to seven industries: Electrical Equipment (8.0%), Machinery (5.9%), Building Products (4.3%), Road & Rail (4.3%), Commercial Services & Supplies (3.8%), Construction & Engineering (1.9%) and Professional Services (1.7%).

Top Holdings*

Wuxi Biologics Cayman, Inc. 

4.6%

Kansas City Southern 

4.3%

Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. 

3.9%

Tetra Tech, Inc. 

3.8%

Prologis, Inc., REIT 

3.4%

Safaricom PLC 

3.3%

Alstom SA 

3.3%

Umicore SA 

3.3%

UnitedHealth Group, Inc. 

3.0%

Schneider Electric SE 

3.0%

Other

64.1%

 

100.0%

*For the purpose of listing top holdings, Short-Term Investments are included as part of Other.

Top Countries

United States

38.2%

United Kingdom

11.0%

France

8.1%

Denmark

6.7%

China

6.4%

Netherlands

4.9%

Germany

4.1%

South Korea

3.9%

Kenya

3.3%

Belgium

3.3%

Other

10.1%

 

100.0%


2021 Semi-Annual Report  7

Statement of Investments

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Shares

Value

COMMON STOCKS (101.7%)

AUSTRALIA (1.9%)

Real Estate (1.9%)

Goodman Group, REIT

96,300

$1,404,300

BELGIUM (3.3%)

Materials (3.3%)

Umicore SA

40,100

2,436,580

BRAZIL (1.4%)

Consumer Discretionary (0.5%)

YDUQS Participacoes SA

64,600

347,971

Financials (0.9%)

Banco Bradesco SA

185,468

705,742

 

1,053,713

CHINA (6.4%)

Financials (1.7%)

Ping An Insurance Group Co. of China Ltd., H Shares

119,500

1,302,820

Health Care (4.7%)

Wuxi Biologics Cayman, Inc.(a)(b)

247,500

3,474,354

 

4,777,174

DENMARK (6.7%)

Health Care (1.9%)

Novo Nordisk AS, Class B

19,500

1,438,465

Industrials (2.8%)

Vestas Wind Systems AS

50,500

2,108,045

Utilities (2.0%)

Orsted AS(a)

9,900

1,439,112

 

4,985,622

FRANCE (8.1%)

Financials (1.8%)

AXA SA

48,400

1,367,059

Industrials (6.3%)

Alstom SA(b)

44,800

2,446,599

Schneider Electric SE

13,900

2,217,825

 

4,664,424

 

6,031,483

GERMANY (4.1%)

Information Technology (2.6%)

Infineon Technologies AG

48,500

1,944,876

Materials (1.5%)

Covestro AG(a)

17,300

1,131,410

 

3,076,286

HONG KONG (2.5%)

Financials (2.5%)

AIA Group Ltd.

146,200

1,855,654

INDONESIA (1.1%)

Financials (1.1%)

Bank Rakyat Indonesia Persero Tbk PT

2,959,000

828,032

 

Shares

Value

ISRAEL (2.6%)

Industrials (2.6%)

Kornit Digital Ltd.(b)

19,700

$1,925,872

KENYA (3.3%)

Communication Services (3.3%)

Safaricom PLC

6,588,400

2,474,086

NETHERLANDS (4.9%)

Information Technology (2.5%)

ASML Holding NV

2,900

1,882,511

Materials (2.4%)

Koninklijke DSM NV

9,849

1,765,925

 

3,648,436

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (1.7%)

Industrials (1.7%)

Kingspan Group PLC

14,800

1,316,386

SOUTH KOREA (3.9%)

Information Technology (3.9%)

Samsung SDI Co. Ltd.

5,000

2,918,400

TAIWAN (2.2%)

Industrials (2.2%)

Voltronic Power Technology Corp.

35,610

1,618,482

UNITED KINGDOM (11.0%)

Consumer Discretionary (1.6%)

Countryside Properties PLC(a)(b)

162,700

1,166,054

Health Care (5.8%)

AstraZeneca PLC

18,800

2,001,145

Clinigen Group PLC

118,000

1,390,896

GlaxoSmithKline PLC

51,200

946,163

 

4,338,204

Industrials (3.6%)

John Laing Group PLC(a)

345,300

1,465,103

RELX PLC

47,900

1,242,787

 

2,707,890

 

8,212,148

UNITED STATES (36.6%)

Consumer Discretionary (1.7%)

Chegg, Inc.(b)

13,600

1,228,488

Financials (2.3%)

Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc.

33,300

1,744,920

Health Care (4.6%)

Merck & Co., Inc.

15,500

1,154,750

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

5,700

2,273,160

 

3,427,910

Industrials (10.7%)

Kansas City Southern

11,000

3,214,310

Tetra Tech, Inc.

22,200

2,833,386

Trane Technologies PLC

11,100

1,929,513

 

7,977,209


8  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statement of Investments (concluded)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Shares

Value

COMMON STOCKS (continued)

UNITED STATES (continued)

Information Technology (7.4%)

Autodesk, Inc.(b)

5,200

$1,517,932

Mastercard, Inc., Class A

5,700

2,177,742

salesforce.com, Inc.(b)

8,000

1,842,560

 

5,538,234

Real Estate (7.2%)

American Tower Corp., REIT

3,800

968,126

Equinix, Inc., REIT

2,600

1,873,976

Prologis, Inc., REIT

21,600

2,517,048

 

5,359,150

Utilities (2.7%)

NextEra Energy, Inc.

25,900

2,007,509

 

27,283,420

Total Common Stocks

75,846,074

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT—1.6%

UNITED STATES (1.6%)

State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Premier Class, 0.03%(c)

1,214,865

1,214,865

Total Short-Term Investment

1,214,865

Total Investments
(Cost $52,858,202) (d)—103.3%

77,060,939

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets—(3.3)% 

(2,462,471)

Net Assets—100.0%

$74,598,468

(a)Denotes a security issued under Regulation S or Rule 144A.

(b)Non-income producing security.

(c)Registered investment company advised by State Street Global Advisors. The rate shown is the 7 day yield as of April 30, 2021.

(d)See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements for tax unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) of securities.

PLCPublic Limited Company

REITReal Estate Investment Trust

2021 Semi-Annual Report  9

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund (Unaudited)

Average Annual Total Return
(For periods ended April 30, 2021)

Six
Month†

1 Yr.

5 Yr.

10 Yr.

Class A

(0.25%)

3.53%

3.85%

3.55%

Institutional Class

(0.15%)

3.80%

4.11%

3.81%

Not annualized

Performance of a $10,000 Investment (as of April 30, 2021)

Comparative performance of $10,000 invested in Class A shares of the Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund, Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a 10-year period ended April 30, 2021. Unlike the Fund’s returns, the returns for these unmanaged indexes do not reflect any fees or expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in market indexes.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the “U.S. Aggregate”) is a broad-based flagship benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. Dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The index includes Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, MBS (agency fixed-rate and hybrid ARM pass-throughs), ABS and CMBS (agency and non-agency). Provided the necessary inclusion rules are met, U.S. Aggregate eligible securities also contribute to the multi-currency Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index and the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Universal Index, which includes high yield and emerging markets debt.

The CPI is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.


Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and when redeemed, shares may be worth more or less than original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The Average Annual Total Return table and performance graph do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Investing in mutual funds involves market risk, including loss of principal. Performance returns assume the reinvestment of all distributions. Performance returns reflect fee waivers and reimbursements in effect without which returns would have been lower.

10  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund (Unaudited)

Portfolio Summary (as a percentage of net assets)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Asset Allocation

Corporate Bonds

26.5%

U.S. Treasuries

15.9%

U.S. Agencies

14.6%

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities

12.8%

Asset-Backed Securities

10.9%

Municipal Bonds

5.9%

Non-Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities

3.4%

Government Bonds

2.6%

Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities

0.7%

Short-Term Investment

9.8%

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets

(3.1)%

 

100.0%

The following chart summarizes the composition of the Fund’s portfolio, expressed as a percentage of net assets. The industries listed below may include more than one industry group. As of April 30, 2021, the Fund did not have more than 25% of its assets invested in any industry group.

Top Industries

Commercial Banks

6.5%

Electric Utilities

3.4%

Aerospace & Defense

2.6%

Auto Manufacturers

2.2%

Diversified Telecommunication Services

1.9%

Semiconductors

1.8%

Beverages

0.8%

Pharmaceutical

0.8%

Miscellaneous Manufacturing

0.8%

Metals & Mining

0.7%

Other

78.5%

 

100.0%

Top Holdings*

U.S. Treasury Note 01/31/2026

4.8%

U.S. Treasury Note 01/31/2023

3.7%

U.S. Treasury Note 03/31/2028

2.7%

Boeing Co. 02/01/2027

1.6%

New York State Dormitory Authority 03/15/2039

1.6%

U.S. Treasury Bond 08/15/2050

1.4%

City of New York NY 10/01/2037

1.3%

Verizon Communications, Inc. 08/10/2033

1.3%

Southern California Edison Co., Series E 08/01/2025

1.3%

Los Angeles Unified School District General Obligation Unlimited Bonds 07/01/2034

1.2%

Other

79.1%

 

100.0%

*For the purpose of listing top holdings, Short-Term Investments are included as part of Other.

Top Countries

United States

92.0%

Canada

2.7%

United Kingdom

2.4%

Italy

1.6%

Supranational

1.1%

China

0.8%

Spain

0.7%

Japan

0.7%

South Korea

0.6%

Netherlands

0.5%

Other

(3.1)%

 

100.0%


2021 Semi-Annual Report  11

Statement of Investments

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES (10.9%)

UNITED STATES (10.9%)

AmeriCredit Automobile Receivables Trust

Series 2018-2, Class D, ABS (USD), 4.01%, 07/18/2024 

$809,000

$851,537

Series 2020-2, Class C, ABS (USD), 1.48%, 02/18/2026 

1,012,000

1,032,015

Series 2021-1, Class B, ABS (USD), 0.68%, 10/19/2026 

1,078,000

1,077,794

CNH Equipment Trust, Series 2021-A, Class A3, ABS (USD), 0.40%, 12/15/2025 

506,080

505,063

Ford Credit Floorplan Master Owner
Trust A

Series 2019-3, Class A1, ABS (USD), 2.23%, 09/15/2024 

1,090,000

1,118,858

Series 2020-1, Class D, ABS (USD), 2.12%, 09/15/2025 

1,124,000

1,152,490

GM Financial Automobile Leasing Trust, Series 2020-2, Class A4, ABS (USD), 1.01%, 07/22/2024 

530,000

535,391

Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Trust, Series 2021-A, Class A3, ABS (USD), 0.37%, 04/15/2026 

899,000

898,115

Honda Auto Receivables Owner Trust, Series 2020-3, Class A3, ABS (USD), 0.37%, 10/18/2024 

940,000

940,813

Invitation Homes Trust

Series 2018-SFR2, Class A, ABS, FRN, 144A (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 0.900%, 1.02%, 06/17/2037 (a)(b)

1,073,038

1,074,043

Series 2018-SFR4, Class A, ABS, FRN (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 1.100%, 1.22%, 01/17/2038 (a)(b)

714,089

718,537

John Deere Owner Trust, Series 2020-B, Class A2, ABS (USD), 0.41%, 03/15/2023 

643,895

644,251

Nissan Auto Lease Trust, Series 2020-B, Class A3, ABS (USD), 0.43%, 10/16/2023 

957,000

958,612

Santander Drive Auto Receivables Trust

Series 2020-4, Class C, ABS (USD), 1.01%, 01/15/2026 

705,000

709,443

Series 2021-1, Class B, ABS (USD), 0.50%, 04/15/2025 

1,289,000

1,290,664

SLM Student Loan Trust

Series 2011-2, Class A1, (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 0.600%, 0.71%, 11/25/2027 (a)

93,233

93,280

Series 2012-3, Class A, ABS, (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 0.650%, 0.76%, 12/27/2038 (a)

777,966

781,619

Series 2013-2, Class A, (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 0.450%, 0.56%, 06/25/2043 (a)

877,547

868,757

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

Tesla Auto Lease Trust

(USD), 2.33%, 02/20/2024 (b)

$928,000

$949,056

Series 2019-A, Class D, ABS (USD), 3.37%, 01/20/2023 (b)

637,000

659,991

Series 2021-A, Class B, ABS (USD), 1.02%, 03/20/2025 (b)

900,000

900,022

Towd Point Mortgage Trust

Series 2019-3, Class M2, ABS (USD), 4.25%, 02/25/2059 (a)(b)

904,557

979,625

Series 2020-2, Class M1B, ABS, VRN, 144A (USD), 3.00%, 04/25/2060 (a)(b)

787,000

789,530

Toyota Auto Receivables Owner Trust, Series 2021-A, Class A3, ABS (USD), 0.26%, 05/15/2025 

900,000

899,124

Verizon Owner Trust, Series 2020-C, Class A, ABS (USD), 0.41%, 04/21/2025 

1,108,000

1,109,703

 

21,538,333

Total Asset-Backed Securities

21,538,333

COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES (12.8%)

UNITED STATES (12.8%)

BANK, Series 2018-BN11, Class C (USD), 4.53%, 03/15/2061 (a)

460,000

492,581

BX Commercial Mortgage Trust, Series 2019-XL, Class A, FRN (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 0.920%, 1.04%, 10/15/2036 (a)(b)

885,021

885,852

BX Trust

Series 2021-LBA, Class AJV, FRN (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 0.800%, 0.92%, 02/15/2036 (a)(b)

786,000

785,984

Series 2019-OC11, Class A (USD), 3.20%, 12/09/2041 (b)

1,012,707

1,071,933

Citigroup Commercial Mortgage Trust, Series 2016-P3, Class A3 (USD), 3.06%, 04/15/2049 

1,099,000

1,163,275

Commercial Mortgage Trust

Series 2014-CR20, Class A3 (USD), 3.33%, 11/10/2047 

795,213

844,176

Series 2015-LC23, Class A3 (USD), 3.52%, 10/10/2048 

784,000

840,947

CSAIL Commercial Mortgage Trust, Series 2016-C7, Class C, (USD), 4.53%, 11/15/2049 (a)

741,000

699,210

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.

Series 2016-DNA2, Class M3, CMO, FRN (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 4.650%, 4.76%, 10/25/2028 (a)

774,283

809,690

Series 2017-DNA1, Class M2, CMO (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 3.250%, 3.36%, 07/25/2029 (a)

1,143,720

1,187,386

Series 2017-DNA2, Class M1, CMO (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 1.200%, 1.31%, 10/25/2029 (a)

236,170

236,489


12  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statement of Investments (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

Series 2017-DNA3, Class M2, CMO, FRN (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 2.500%, 2.61%, 03/25/2030 (a)

$969,952

$991,946

Federal National Mortgage Association

Series 2016-C02, Class 1M2, CMO (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 6.000%, 6.11%, 09/25/2028 (a)

534,025

563,589

Series 2016-C04, Class 1M2, CMO, FRN (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 4.250%, 4.36%, 01/25/2029 (a)

877,401

919,760

GS Mortgage-Backed Securities Corp. Trust, Series 2020-PJ4, Class A2, CMO, VRN, (USD), 3.00%, 01/25/2051 (a)(b)

449,171

458,049

JP Morgan Mortgage Trust

Series 2017-2, Class B3, CMO (USD), 3.68%, 05/25/2047 (a)(b)

950,271

981,343

Series 2019-9, Class B3, CMO (USD), 3.91%, 05/25/2050 (a)(b)

915,566

930,862

Series 2020-4, Class B2, CMO, VRN, 144A (USD), 3.74%, 11/25/2050 (a)(b)

553,526

597,100

Series 2020-5, Class A5, CMO, VRN (USD), 3.00%, 12/25/2050 (a)(b)

752,000

768,486

Series 2020-8, Class A3, CMO, VRN, (USD), 3.00%, 03/25/2051 (a)(b)

967,363

995,553

JPMBB Commercial Mortgage Securities Trust

Series 2013-C14, Class A4, VRN (USD), 4.13%, 08/15/2046 (a)

592,569

623,936

Series 2014-C24, Class A4A1 (USD), 3.37%, 11/15/2047 

984,000

1,043,034

Life Mortgage Trust, Series 2021-BMR, Class B, FRN (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 0.880%, 1.00%, 03/15/2038 (a)(b)

863,458

863,976

Mill City Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2019-1, Class M2, CMO, VRN, (USD), 3.50%, 10/25/2069 (a)(b)

814,500

864,740

Morgan Stanley Capital I Trust, Series 2017-CLS, Class A (USD), 1M USD LIBOR + 0.700%, 0.82%, 11/15/2034 (a)(b)

965,000

965,303

Nomura Asset Acceptance Corp. Alternative Loan Trust, Series 2005-WF1, Class 1A1, CMO, (USD), 5.73%, 03/25/2035 (a)

192,222

199,245

SFAVE Commercial Mortgage Securities Trust

Series 2015-5AVE, Class C (USD), 4.53%, 01/05/2043 (a)(b)

926,000

830,947

Series 2015-5AVE, Class D (USD), 4.53%, 01/05/2043 (a)(b)

562,000

453,165

UBS Commercial Mortgage Trust, Series 2017-C6, Class C (USD), 4.59%, 12/15/2050 (a)

577,000

614,033

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Trust

Series 2014-LC16, Class B (USD), 4.32%, 08/15/2050 

$680,000

$669,894

Series 2017-C40, Class AS, VRN (USD), 3.85%, 10/15/2050 (a)

315,000

346,417

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities Trust, Series 2020-3, Class B1, CMO, VRN (USD), 3.24%, 06/25/2050 (a)(b)

958,564

1,001,573

WFRBS Commercial Mortgage Trust, Series 2012-C10, Class AS, (USD), 3.24%, 12/15/2045 

568,395

579,358

 

25,279,832

Total Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities

25,279,832

NON-AGENCY MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES (3.4%)

UNITED STATES (3.4%)

CHL Mortgage Pass-Through Trust, Series 2005-21, Class A2 (USD), 5.50%, 10/25/2035 

261,805

217,211

Flagstar Mortgage Trust, Series 2017-2, Class B2, (USD), 4.11%, 10/25/2047 (a)(b)

1,163,074

1,227,918

GSR Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2005-6F, Class 1A6 (USD), 5.25%, 07/25/2035 

176,039

180,279

IndyMac INDA Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2005-AR2, Class 3A1 (USD), 3.23%, 01/25/2036 (a)

286,160

255,904

JP Morgan Mortgage Trust

Series 2006-S1, Class 2A6 (USD), 6.00%, 04/25/2036 

229,258

235,124

Series 2017-1, Class A3, (USD), 3.50%, 01/25/2047 (a)(b)

4

4

Series 2018-6, Class B2 (USD), 3.90%, 12/25/2048 (a)(b)

942,826

986,772

New Residential Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2017-2A, Class A3, (USD), 4.00%, 03/25/2057 (a)(b)

636,732

681,691

PHH Mortgage Trust, Series 2008-CIM1, Class 21A1 (USD), 6.00%, 05/25/2038 

319,187

326,851

Sequoia Mortgage Trust

Series 2017-CH1, Class A13, (USD), 4.00%, 08/25/2047 (a)(b)

595,833

604,066

Series 2017-CH2, Class A13 (USD), 4.00%, 12/25/2047 (a)(b)

902,867

926,959

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series 2007-4, Class 2A1 (USD), 2.26%, 09/25/2037 (a)

252,797

261,413

WaMu Mortgage Pass Through Certificates, Series 2005-AR7, Class A3 (USD), 2.88%, 08/25/2035 (a)

287,425

299,691

WinWater Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2015-2, Class B3, (USD), 3.91%, 02/20/2045 (a)(b)

431,374

455,645

 

6,659,528

Total Non-Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities

6,659,528


2021 Semi-Annual Report  13

Statement of Investments (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

CORPORATE BONDS (26.5%)

CANADA (1.7%)

Diversified Telecommunication Services (0.6%)

Bell Canada, Series US-4 (USD), 3.65%, 03/17/2051 

$1,126,000

$1,167,049

Metals & Mining (0.7%)

Teck Resources Ltd. (USD), 3.90%, 07/15/2030 

1,365,000

1,450,362

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels (0.4%)

Cenovus Energy, Inc. (USD), 5.40%, 06/15/2047 

642,000

730,141

 

3,347,552

CHINA (0.8%)

Diversified Financial Services (0.3%)

CCBL Cayman 1 Corp. Ltd. (USD), 3.50%, 05/16/2024 (b)

555,000

588,958

Internet (0.5%)

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (USD), 2.70%, 02/09/2041 

1,120,000

1,043,014

 

1,631,972

ITALY (1.1%)

Commercial Banks (1.1%)

UniCredit SpA (USD), 7.83%, 12/04/2023 (b)

1,800,000

2,084,670

JAPAN (0.7%)

Auto Manufacturers (0.7%)

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (USD), 4.35%, 09/17/2027 (b)

1,215,000

1,329,293

NETHERLANDS (0.5%)

Semiconductors (0.5%)

NXP BV / NXP Funding LLC (USD), 5.35%, 03/01/2026 (b)

887,000

1,036,084

SOUTH KOREA (0.6%)

Semiconductors (0.6%)

SK Hynix, Inc., 144A (USD), 1.00%, 01/19/2024 (b)

1,125,000

1,124,113

SPAIN (0.7%)

Commercial Banks (0.7%)

Banco Santander SA (USD), 2.75%, 05/28/2025 

1,400,000

1,476,431

UNITED KINGDOM (2.4%)

Commercial Banks (2.4%)

HSBC Holdings PLC, (fixed rate to 09/22/2027, variable rate thereafter) (USD), 2.01%, 09/22/2028 

1,865,000

1,850,756

Lloyds Banking Group PLC, (fixed rate to 07/09/2024, variable rate thereafter), VRN (USD), 3.87%, 07/09/2025 

1,225,000

1,331,987

Natwest Group PLC, (fixed rate to 03/22/2024, variable rate thereafter) (USD), 4.27%, 03/22/2025 

1,450,000

1,581,150

 

4,763,893

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

UNITED STATES (18.0%)

Aerospace & Defense (2.6%)

Boeing Co. (USD), 2.70%, 02/01/2027 

$3,110,000

$3,199,475

Raytheon Technologies Corp. (USD), 6.05%, 06/01/2036 

1,470,000

2,009,524

 

5,208,999

Auto Manufacturers (1.5%)

Ford Holdings LLC (USD), 9.30%, 03/01/2030 

930,000

1,237,365

Hyundai Capital America, 144A (USD), 0.80%, 01/08/2024 (b)

1,690,000

1,681,088

 

2,918,453

Beverages (0.8%)

Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc. (USD), 0.75%, 03/15/2024 

1,683,000

1,684,361

Building Materials (0.4%)

Carrier Global Corp. (USD), 3.38%, 04/05/2040 

770,000

776,934

Commercial Banks (2.3%)

Bank of America Corp., (fixed rate to 06/19/2040, variable rate thereafter) (USD), 2.68%, 06/19/2041 

1,131,000

1,062,571

Citigroup, Inc., (fixed rate to 04/08/2025, variable rate thereafter) (USD), 3.11%, 04/08/2026 

2,200,000

2,359,830

JPMorgan Chase & Co., (fixed rate to 04/22/2030, variable rate thereafter) (USD), 2.52%, 04/22/2031 

1,106,000

1,117,411

 

4,539,812

Commercial Services & Supplies (0.3%)

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (USD), 3.25%, 06/01/2050 

555,000

559,338

Computers & Peripherals (0.3%)

Apple, Inc. (USD), 2.40%, 08/20/2050 

725,000

647,640

Diversified Telecommunication Services (1.3%)

Verizon Communications, Inc. (USD), 4.50%, 08/10/2033 

2,140,000

2,522,622

Electric Utilities (3.4%)

AEP Texas, Inc., Series H (USD), 3.45%, 01/15/2050 

580,000

578,238

IPALCO Enterprises, Inc. (USD), 4.25%, 05/01/2030 (b)

1,343,000

1,490,300

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (USD), 4.55%, 07/01/2030 

1,365,000

1,467,346

Southern California Edison Co., Series E (USD), 3.70%, 08/01/2025 

2,270,000

2,490,444

Southwestern Public Service Co., Series 8 (USD), 3.15%, 05/01/2050 

613,000

616,257

 

6,642,585

Energy Equipment & Services (0.5%)

Western Midstream Operating LP (USD), 4.65%, 07/01/2026 

970,000

1,038,506


14  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statement of Investments (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

Entertainment (0.2%)

The Museum of Modern Art, Series 2021 (USD), 3.22%, 07/01/2051 

$439,000

$448,463

Insurance (0.6%)

Athene Holding Ltd. (USD), 3.50%, 01/15/2031 

1,130,000

1,186,445

Miscellaneous Manufacturing (0.8%)

General Electric Co., Series A (USD), 6.75%, 03/15/2032 

1,108,000

1,496,776

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels (0.3%)

Diamondback Energy, Inc. (USD), 3.25%, 12/01/2026 

567,000

601,264

Pharmaceutical (0.8%)

CVS Health Corp. (USD), 6.25%, 06/01/2027 

1,270,000

1,577,956

Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Funds (0.5%)

American Tower Corp. (USD), 1.88%, 10/15/2030 

1,105,000

1,046,736

Retail (0.3%)

Lowe’s Cos., Inc. (USD), 3.00%, 10/15/2050 

565,000

533,111

Semiconductors (0.7%)

Broadcom, Inc. (USD), 4.15%, 11/15/2030 

1,335,000

1,459,316

Transportation (0.4%)

FedEx Corp. (USD), 5.25%, 05/15/2050 

565,000

731,753

 

35,621,070

Total Corporate Bonds

52,415,078

MUNICIPAL BONDS (5.9%)

UNITED STATES (5.9%)

California (1.2%)

Los Angeles Unified School District General Obligation Unlimited Bonds (USD), 6.76%, 07/01/2034 

1,660,000

2,365,600

District of Columbia (0.3%)

District of Columbia, Series E (USD), 5.59%, 12/01/2034 

505,000

650,391

Kansas (0.7%)

Kansas Development Finance Authority, Series H (USD), 4.73%, 04/15/2037 

1,125,000

1,363,774

Massachusetts (0.1%)

State of Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Series H (USD), 2.90%, 09/01/2049 

165,000

169,840

New York (3.6%)

City of New York NY (USD), 5.52%, 10/01/2037 

1,950,000

2,615,895

New York State Dormitory Authority (USD), 5.63%, 03/15/2039 

2,470,000

3,180,230

New York State Urban Development Corp (USD), 5.77%, 03/15/2039 

1,065,000

1,309,033

 

7,105,158

 

11,654,763

Total Municipal Bonds

11,654,763

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

GOVERNMENT BONDS (2.6%)

CANADA (1.0%)

Canada Housing Trust No 1 (CAD), 1.95%, 12/15/2025 (b)(c)

$

2,455,000

$

2,073,810

ITALY (0.5%)

Republic of Italy Government International Bond (USD), 3.88%, 05/06/2051 

1,094,000

1,086,579

SUPRANATIONAL (1.1%)

International Bank for Reconstruction & Development (CAD), 0.63%, 01/14/2026 

2,658,000

2,112,498

Total Government Bonds

5,272,887

U.S. AGENCIES (14.6%)

UNITED STATES (14.6%)

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.

MBS (USD), 4.50%, 08/01/2046 

331,914

366,005

MBS (USD), 4.00%, 01/01/2047 

817,384

893,274

MBS (USD), 4.00%, 08/01/2048 

1,135,853

1,240,703

Federal National Mortgage Association

MBS, TBA (USD), 2.00%, 05/01/2036 

954,000

985,415

MBS, TBA (USD), 2.50%, 05/01/2036 

1,469,000

1,535,105

MBS (USD), 4.50%, 12/01/2046 

570,739

631,358

MBS (USD), 4.50%, 06/01/2047 

819,231

901,023

MBS (USD), 3.50%, 01/01/2048 

1,041,900

1,113,520

MBS (USD), 3.50%, 04/01/2048 

908,966

971,057

MBS (USD), 4.00%, 05/01/2048 

1,031,189

1,121,355

MBS (USD), 5.00%, 09/01/2048 

356,578

393,622

MBS (USD), 3.50%, 11/01/2048 

937,955

1,000,267

MBS (USD), 3.00%, 02/01/2050 

1,235,278

1,294,404

MBS (USD), 4.00%, 03/01/2050 

953,280

1,035,291

MBS (USD), 3.50%, 06/01/2050 

627,507

674,402

MBS (USD), 3.50%, 06/01/2050 

556,152

598,607

MBS (USD), 3.00%, 07/01/2050 

1,329,278

1,399,173

MBS (USD), 3.00%, 09/01/2050 

1,243,646

1,302,722

MBS, TBA (USD), 2.50%, 05/01/2051 

1,897,000

1,967,989

FREMF Mortgage Trust

Series 2016-K57, Class C (USD), 4.05%, 08/25/2049 (a)(b)

1,077,000

1,147,761

Series 2018-K81, Class C, VRN, 144A (USD), 4.31%, 09/25/2051 (a)(b)

519,000

558,371

Government National Mortgage Association

MBS (USD), 4.50%, 06/20/2047 

468,587

514,115

MBS (USD), 3.50%, 11/20/2047 

753,627

810,814

MBS (USD), 4.00%, 05/20/2048 

985,205

1,070,664

MBS (USD), 4.00%, 09/20/2048 

463,060

503,226

MBS (USD), 3.00%, 06/20/2050 

1,709,864

1,805,310

MBS (USD), 3.50%, 06/20/2050 

1,074,096

1,139,534

MBS, TBA (USD), 2.50%, 05/01/2051 

1,890,000

1,964,566

 

28,939,653

Total U.S. Agencies

28,939,653


2021 Semi-Annual Report  15

Statement of Investments (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

U.S. TREASURIES (15.9%)

UNITED STATES (15.9%)

U.S. Treasury Bond

(USD), 1.88%, 02/15/2041 

$1,614,000

$1,535,317

(USD), 1.38%, 08/15/2050 

3,376,500

2,707,003

(USD), 1.63%, 11/15/2050 

1,938,100

1,657,984

U.S. Treasury Note

(USD), 0.13%, 01/31/2023 

7,372,500

7,370,196

(USD), 0.13%, 02/15/2024 

1,704,900

1,697,308

(USD), 0.38%, 01/31/2026 

9,718,800

9,526,322

(USD), 1.25%, 03/31/2028 

5,414,100

5,398,027

(USD), 1.13%, 02/15/2031 

1,587,100

1,515,681

 

31,407,838

Total U.S. Treasuries

31,407,838

AGENCY MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES (0.7%)

UNITED STATES (0.7%)

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (USD), 5.00%, 10/01/2041 

221,765

255,759

Federal National Mortgage Association (USD), 4.50%, 07/01/2040 

579,691

645,402

Government National Mortgage Association (USD), 4.50%, 12/20/2045 

432,020

483,803

 

1,384,964

Total Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities

1,384,964

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

Value
(US$)

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT—9.8%

UNITED STATES (9.8%)

State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Premier Class, 0.03%(d)

$19,358,478

$19,358,478

Total Short-Term Investment

19,358,478

Total Investments
(Cost $203,041,952) (e)—103.1%

203,911,354

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets—(3.1)%

(6,095,475)

Net Assets—100.0%

$197,815,879

(a)Variable Rate Instrument. The rate shown is based on the latest available information as of April 30, 2021. Certain variable rate securities are not based on a published reference rate and spread but are determined by the issuer or agent and are based on current market conditions. These securities do not indicate a reference rate and spread in their description.

(b)Denotes a security issued under Regulation S or Rule 144A.

(c)This security is government guaranteed.

(d)Registered investment company advised by State Street Global Advisors. The rate shown is the 7 day yield as of April 30, 2021.

(e)See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements for tax unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) of securities.

CADCanadian Dollar

COPColombian Peso

IDRIndonesian Rupiah

JPYJapanese Yen

MXNMexican Peso

PLCPublic Limited Company

TBASecurities purchased on a forward commitment basis with an appropriate principal amount and no definitive maturity date. The actual principal and maturity date will be determined upon settlement date.

USDU.S. Dollar

UYUUruguayan Peso


16  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statement of Investments (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

At April 30, 2021, the Fund held the following futures contracts:

Futures Contracts

 

Number of
Contracts
Long/(Short)

 

Expiration
Date

 

Notional
Amount

 

Market
Value

  

Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)

 

Long Contract Positions

United States Treasury Long Bond Future

2

06/21/2021

$

320,813

$

314,500

$

(6,313

)

United States Treasury Note 6%—10 year

61

06/21/2021

8,094,140

8,053,906

(40,234

)

United States Treasury Note 6%—2 year

75

06/30/2021

16,564,367

16,556,836

(7,531

)

United States Treasury Note 6%—5 year

9

06/30/2021

1,112,484

1,115,437

2,953

United States Treasury Note 6%—Ultra Bond

44

06/21/2021

8,301,344

8,179,875

(121,469

)

 

$

(172,594

)

SHORT CONTRACT POSITIONS (4.1%)

United States Treasury Note 6%–10 year Ultra

(56

)

06/21/2021

$

(8,128,750

)

(8,150,625

)

$

(21,875

)

 

$

(194,469

)

At April 30, 2021, the Fund’s open forward foreign currency exchange contracts were as follows:

Purchase Contracts
Settlement Date*

Counterparty

 

Amount
Purchased

 

Amount
Sold

 

Fair Value

 

Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)

 

Canadian Dollar/United States Dollar

07/06/2021

Citibank N.A.

CAD

4,786,201

USD

3,865,097

$3,894,482

$29,385

07/06/2021

Royal Bank of Canada

CAD

2,643,610

USD

2,146,884

2,151,078

4,194

Colombian Peso/United States Dollar

05/19/2021

Barclays Bank plc

COP

7,168,005,000

USD

1,971,670

1,908,302

(63,368

)

Indonesian Rupiah/United States Dollar

05/06/2021

Barclays Bank plc

IDR

28,353,219,000

USD

1,947,336

1,962,859

15,523

Japanese Yen/United States Dollar

06/24/2021

Barclays Bank plc

JPY

212,940,000

USD

1,962,632

1,949,165

(13,467

)

06/24/2021

HSBC Bank USA

JPY

212,940,000

USD

1,959,181

1,949,165

(10,016

)

Mexican Peso/United States Dollar

05/04/2021

HSBC Bank USA

MXN

42,805,203

USD

2,090,988

2,113,107

22,119

05/06/2021

Goldman Sachs & Co.

MXN

39,669,000

USD

1,947,293

1,957,852

10,559

07/14/2021

Royal Bank of Canada

MXN

20,069,068

USD

1,000,589

982,926

(17,663

)

Uruguayo Peso/United States Dollar

07/08/2021

Citibank N.A.

UYU

86,147,000

USD

1,922,924

1,945,066

22,142

 

$20,814,002

$(592

)

Sale Contracts
Settlement Date*

Counterparty

 

Amount
Purchased

 

Amount
Sold

 

Fair Value

 

Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)

United States Dollar/Canadian Dollar

07/12/2021

HSBC Bank USA

USD

8,044,530

CAD

10,088,405

$8,208,873

$(164,343)

United States Dollar/Colombian Peso

05/19/2021

Citibank N.A.

USD

1,965,453

COP

7,168,005,000

1,908,302

57,151

United States Dollar/Indonesian Rupiah

05/06/2021

HSBC Bank USA

USD

1,950,149

IDR

28,353,219,000

1,962,859

(12,710)

United States Dollar/Japanese Yen

06/24/2021

Citibank N.A.

USD

1,951,684

JPY

212,940,000

1,949,165

2,519

06/24/2021

Royal Bank of Canada

USD

1,924,389

JPY

212,940,000

1,949,165

(24,776)

2021 Semi-Annual Report  17

Statement of Investments (concluded)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

Sale Contracts
Settlement Date*

Counterparty

 

Amount
Purchased

 

Amount
Sold

 

Fair Value

 

Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)

United States Dollar/Mexican Peso

05/04/2021

HSBC Bank USA

USD

2,098,549

MXN

42,805,203

$2,113,107

$(14,558)

05/06/2021

Goldman Sachs & Co.

USD

1,966,595

MXN

39,669,000

1,957,852

8,743

07/14/2021

Royal Bank of Canada

USD

990,681

MXN

20,069,068

982,926

7,755

United States Dollar/Uruguayo Peso

07/08/2021

Citibank N.A.

USD

1,921,209

UYU

86,147,000

1,945,067

(23,858)

 

$22,977,316

$(164,077)

Total unrealized appreciation on open forward foreign currency exchange contracts $ 180,090

Total unrealized depreciation on open forward foreign currency exchange contracts $(344,759)

*Certain contracts with different trade dates and like characteristics have been shown net.

18  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund (Unaudited)

Average Annual Total Return
(For periods ended April 30, 2021)

 

Six Month†

 

1 Yr.

 

5 Yr.

 

10 Yr.

 

Class A

8.26%

21.17%

6.39%

4.26%

Institutional Class

8.37%

21.47%

6.65%

4.53%

Not annualized

Performance of a $10,000 Investment (as of April 30, 2021)

Comparative performance of $10,000 invested in Class A shares of the Aberdeen Global High Income Fund, ICE Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global High Yield Constrained Index (Hedged to USD) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a 10-year period ended April 30, 2021. Unlike the Fund’s returns, the returns for these unmanaged indexes do not reflect any fees or expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in market indexes.

The ICE Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global High Yield Constrained Index (Hedged to the USD) tracks the performance of USD, CAD, GBP and EUR denominated below investment grade corporate debt publicly issued in the major domestic or eurobond markets but caps issuer exposure at 2%.

The CPI is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.

Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and when redeemed, shares may be worth more or less than original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The Average Annual Total Return table and performance graph do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Investing in mutual funds involves market risk, including loss of principal. Performance returns assume the reinvestment of all distributions. Performance returns reflect fee waivers and reimbursements in effect without which returns would have been lower.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  19

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund (Unaudited)

Asset Allocation

Corporate Bonds

93.5%

Exchange-Traded Funds

4.3%

Bank Loans

0.2%

Short-Term Investment

2.5%

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets

(0.5)%

 

100.0%

The following chart summarizes the composition of the Fund’s portfolio, expressed as a percentage of net assets. The industries listed below may include more than one industry group. As of April 30, 2021, the Fund did not have more than 25% of its assets invested in any industry group.

Top Industries

Diversified Telecommunication Services

10.3%

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels

7.3%

Commercial Banks

4.8%

Diversified Financial Services

4.6%

Pharmaceutical

4.6%

Media

4.2%

Entertainment

4.0%

Auto Parts & Equipment

3.6%

Leisure Time

3.4%

Energy Equipment & Services

2.8%

Other

50.4%

 

100.0%

Top Holdings*

iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF 

4.3%

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (The) 05/31/2025

1.5%

Teva Pharmaceutical Finance Netherlands III BV 01/31/2025

1.2%

MDC Holdings, Inc. 01/15/2030

1.2%

Photo Holdings Merger Sub, Inc. 10/01/2026

1.1%

SoftBank Group Corp., (fixed rate to 07/19/2023, variable rate thereafter), VRN 07/19/2023

1.1%

Howmet Aerospace, Inc. 05/01/2025

1.0%

Petroleos Mexicanos 02/12/2028

1.0%

Ford Motor Co. 04/22/2025

1.0%

NCL Corp. Ltd. 02/01/2026

0.8%

Other

85.8%

 

100.0%

*For the purpose of listing top holdings, Short-Term Investments are included as part of Other.

Top Countries

United States

62.2%

United Kingdom

4.8%

Germany

4.4%

Brazil

3.3%

Netherlands

3.1%

Luxembourg

2.5%

Italy

1.9%

Mexico

1.7%

China

1.6%

Canada

1.3%

Other

13.2%

 

100.0%

20  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statement of Investments

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

CORPORATE BONDS (93.5%)

ARGENTINA (0.3%)

Transportadora de Gas del Sur SA (USD), 6.75%, 05/02/2025 (a)

$575,000

$498,778

BERMUDA (0.4%)

Highlands Holdings Bond Issuer Ltd. / Highlands Holdings Bond Co-Issuer, Inc., PIK, (USD), 7.63%, 10/15/2025 (a)(b)

492,516

525,613

BRAZIL (3.3%)

Braskem Netherlands Finance BV (USD), 4.50%, 01/10/2028 (a)

810,000

842,400

CSN Resources SA

(USD), 7.63%, 02/13/2023 (a)

265,000

274,938

(USD), 7.63%, 04/17/2026 (a)

314,000

337,613

MARB BondCo PLC (USD), 3.95%, 01/29/2031 (a)

667,000

633,763

NBM US Holdings, Inc. (USD), 7.00%, 05/14/2026 (a)

669,000

719,175

Petrobras Global Finance BV

(USD), 5.09%, 01/15/2030 

815,000

861,251

(USD), 5.60%, 01/03/2031 

536,000

578,612

Rede D’or Finance Sarl

(USD), 4.95%, 01/17/2028 (a)

380,000

392,829

(USD), 4.50%, 01/22/2030 (a)

390,000

383,077

 

5,023,658

CANADA (1.3%)

GFL Environmental, Inc.

(USD), 3.75%, 08/01/2025 (a)

165,000

167,888

(USD), 5.13%, 12/15/2026 (a)

295,000

309,012

(USD), 4.00%, 08/01/2028 (a)

194,000

185,646

NOVA Chemicals Corp. (USD), 4.25%, 05/15/2029 (a)

638,000

631,620

Titan Acquisition Ltd. / Titan Co-Borrower LLC (USD), 7.75%, 04/15/2026 (a)

720,000

747,900

 

2,042,066

CHILE (0.3%)

VTR Finance NV (USD), 6.38%, 07/15/2028 (a)

442,000

477,360

CHINA (1.6%)

China Evergrande Group (USD), 9.50%, 04/11/2022 (a)

465,000

455,932

Huarong Finance 2017 Co. Ltd. (USD), 3.75%, 04/27/2022 (a)

285,000

237,263

Huarong Finance II Co. Ltd. (USD), 5.50%, 01/16/2025 (a)

555,000

431,513

Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. (USD), 9.38%, 06/30/2024 (a)

495,000

491,535

Sunac China Holdings Ltd. (USD), 7.95%, 10/11/2023 (a)

825,000

870,787

 

2,487,030

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

EL SALVADOR (0.3%)

AES El Salvador Trust II (USD), 6.75%, 03/28/2023 (a)

$500,000

$499,375

FRANCE (0.4%)

Adevinta ASA (EUR), 2.63%, 11/15/2025 (a)

135,000

166,929

Altice France SA (USD), 7.38%, 05/01/2026 (a)

473,000

490,407

 

657,336

GEORGIA (0.4%)

Bank of Georgia JSC (USD), 6.00%, 07/26/2023 (a)

500,000

526,710

GERMANY (4.4%)

Aareal Bank AG, FRN (EUR), EUSA1 + 7.180%, 6.67%, 04/30/2022 (a)(c)(d)

600,000

735,827

BK LC Lux Finco1 Sarl (EUR), 5.25%, 04/30/2029 (a)

100,000

122,389

CT Investment GmbH (EUR), 5.50%, 04/15/2026 (a)

490,000

596,410

Deutsche Bank AG, (fixed rate to 04/30/2025, variable rate thereafter), VRN (USD), 7.50%, 04/30/2025 (c)

400,000

440,960

Deutsche Bank AG, (fixed rate to 04/30/2026, variable rate thereafter), VRN (GBP), 5 year GBP Swap + 4.257%, 7.13%, 04/30/2026 (a)(c)

300,000

448,612

Gruenenthal GmbH

(EUR), 3.63%, 11/15/2026 (a)

299,000

365,990

(EUR), 4.13%, 05/15/2028 (a)

230,000

281,934

Nidda BondCo GmbH (EUR), 5.00%, 09/30/2025 (a)

305,000

370,353

Nidda Healthcare Holding GmbH (EUR), 3.50%, 09/30/2024 (a)

623,000

751,854

Schaeffler AG (EUR), 2.88%, 03/26/2027 (a)

350,000

448,315

Tele Columbus AG (EUR), 3.88%, 05/02/2025 (a)

784,000

957,880

TK Elevator Midco GmbH (EUR), 4.38%, 07/15/2027 (a)

176,000

222,180

Vertical Holdco GmbH (EUR), 6.63%, 07/15/2028 (a)

249,000

321,205

ZF Europe Finance BV

(EUR), 2.00%, 02/23/2026 (a)

300,000

363,740

(EUR), 2.50%, 10/23/2027 (a)

300,000

370,594

 

6,798,243

IRELAND (0.8%)

Cimpress PLC (USD), 7.00%, 06/15/2026 (a)

1,190,000

1,252,475

ISRAEL (1.2%)

Teva Pharmaceutical Finance Netherlands III BV (USD), 7.13%, 01/31/2025 

1,680,000

1,831,435

2021 Semi-Annual Report  21

Statement of Investments (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

CORPORATE BONDS (continued)

ITALY (1.9%)

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, (fixed rate to 01/18/2023, variable rate thereafter) (EUR), 5 year EUR Swap + 5.005%, 5.38%, 01/18/2028 (a)

$1,000,000

$1,078,779

Kedrion SpA (EUR), 3.38%, 05/15/2026 

587,000

706,454

Sofima Holding SpA

(EUR), 3.75%, 01/15/2028 (a)

231,000

278,844

FRN (EUR), 3 mo. Euribor + 4.000%, 4.00%, 01/15/2028 (a)(d)

100,000

120,675

UniCredit SpA, (fixed rate to 06/03/2023, variable rate thereafter) (EUR), 6.63%, 06/03/2023 (a)(c)

530,000

680,999

 

2,865,751

JAMAICA (0.6%)

Digicel Group 0.5 Ltd., PIK (USD), 10.00%, 04/01/2024 (b)

965,085

943,371

JAPAN (1.1%)

SoftBank Group Corp., (fixed rate to 07/19/2023, variable rate thereafter), VRN (USD), 5 year USD ICE Swap + 4.226%, 6.00%, 07/19/2023 (a)(c)

1,620,000

1,644,300

LUXEMBOURG (2.5%)

Altice France Holding SA (EUR), 8.00%, 05/15/2027 (a)

283,000

370,041

Cidron Aida Finco SARL (GBP), 6.25%, 04/01/2028 (a)

353,000

497,977

Cidron Aida Finco Sarl (EUR), 5.00%, 04/01/2028 (a)

291,000

356,502

Galapagos SA (EUR), 5.38%, 06/15/2021 (a)(e)(f)

60,500

Garfunkelux Holdco 3 SA

(EUR), 6.75%, 11/01/2025 (a)

231,000

288,134

(GBP), 7.75%, 11/01/2025 (a)

240,000

343,875

Kleopatra Finco Sarl (EUR), 4.25%, 03/01/2026 (a)

113,000

133,484

Kleopatra Holdings 2 SCA (EUR), 6.50%, 09/01/2026 (a)

327,000

366,159

LHMC Finco 2 Sarl, PIK (EUR), 7.25%, 10/02/2025 (a)(b)

270,400

298,844

Matterhorn Telecom SA (EUR), 3.13%, 09/15/2026 (a)

987,000

1,183,649

 

3,838,665

MEXICO (1.7%)

Petroleos Mexicanos

(USD), 6.49%, 01/23/2027 

300,000

317,250

(USD), 5.35%, 02/12/2028 

1,580,000

1,552,192

Sixsigma Networks Mexico SA de CV (USD), 7.50%, 05/02/2025 (a)

750,000

655,312

 

2,524,754

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

NETHERLANDS (3.1%)

Leaseplan Corporation NV, (fixed rate to 05/29/2024, variable rate thereafter), VRN (EUR), 7.38%, 05/29/2024 (a)(c)

$250,000

$332,038

Lincoln Financing SARL (EUR), 3.63%, 04/01/2024 (a)

743,000

904,051

OCI NV (USD), 5.25%, 11/01/2024 (a)

423,000

439,510

Stichting AK Rabobank Certificaten (EUR), 2.19%, 12/29/2049 (a)(c)(g)

655,750

1,033,757

Trivium Packaging Finance BV (USD), 5.50%, 08/15/2026 (a)

690,000

721,913

Ziggo Bond Co. BV

(EUR), 3.38%, 02/28/2030 (a)

382,000

454,093

(USD), 5.13%, 02/28/2030 (a)

200,000

204,840

Ziggo BV (USD), 5.50%, 01/15/2027 (a)

642,000

667,731

 

4,757,933

NIGERIA (0.5%)

IHS Netherlands Holdco BV (USD), 8.00%, 09/18/2027 (a)

760,000

824,600

PANAMA (0.6%)

C&W Senior Financing DAC (USD), 6.88%, 09/15/2027 (a)

879,000

931,740

SOUTH AFRICA (0.7%)

Liquid Telecommunications Financing PLC (USD), 5.50%, 09/04/2026 (a)

985,000

1,036,910

SPAIN (1.1%)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, Series 9 (fixed rate to 03/05/2025, variable rate thereafter) (USD), 6.50%, 03/05/2025 (c)

800,000

875,960

Cirsa Finance International Sarl

(USD), 7.88%, 12/20/2023 (a)

361,000

367,318

(EUR), 3.63%, 09/30/2025 (a)(d)

408,000

467,169

 

1,710,447

SWEDEN (1.1%)

Intrum AB

(EUR), 4.88%, 08/15/2025 (a)

379,000

478,856

(EUR), 3.50%, 07/15/2026 (a)

375,000

453,867

Verisure Holding AB (EUR), 3.25%, 02/15/2027 (a)

333,000

401,617

Verisure Midholding AB (EUR), 5.25%, 02/15/2029 (a)

275,000

340,948

 

1,675,288

TANZANIA (0.4%)

HTA Group Ltd. (USD), 7.00%, 12/18/2025 (a)

617,000

657,586

TURKEY (1.2%)

Akbank Turk AS, (fixed rate to 03/16/2022, variable rate thereafter) (USD), 7.20%, 03/16/2027 (a)

619,000

621,459

KOC Holding AS (USD), 5.25%, 03/15/2023 (a)

275,000

282,562

22  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statement of Investments (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

CORPORATE BONDS (continued)

TURKEY (continued)

Turk Telekomunikasyon AS (USD), 4.88%, 06/19/2024 (a)

$410,000

$423,825

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS (USD), 5.25%, 09/13/2022 (a)

450,000

460,845

 

1,788,691

UKRAINE (1.2%)

Metinvest BV (USD), 8.50%, 04/23/2026 (a)

715,000

790,075

MHP Lux SA (USD), 6.95%, 04/03/2026 (a)

1,009,000

1,030,754

 

1,820,829

UNITED KINGDOM (4.6%)

Arqiva Broadcast Finance PLC (GBP), 6.75%, 09/30/2023 (a)

800,000

1,140,968

Bellis Acquisition Co. PLC (GBP), 3.25%, 02/16/2026 (a)

278,000

384,921

Bellis Finco PLC (GBP), 4.00%, 02/16/2027 (a)

111,000

153,544

eG Global Finance PLC (EUR), 4.38%, 02/07/2025 (a)

700,000

815,486

Jerrold Finco PLC (GBP), 5.25%, 01/15/2027 (a)

447,000

633,534

Merlin Entertainments Ltd. (USD), 5.75%, 06/15/2026 (a)

695,000

733,225

TalkTalk Telecom Group PLC (GBP), 3.88%, 02/20/2025 (a)

750,000

1,020,250

Virgin Media Vendor Financing Notes III DAC (GBP), 4.88%, 07/15/2028 (a)

744,000

1,053,188

Virgin Money UK PLC (fixed rate to 12/08/2022, variable rate thereafter) (GBP), 8.00%, 12/08/2022 (a)(c)

765,000

1,120,924

 

7,056,040

UNITED STATES (55.4%)

99 Escrow Issuer, Inc. (USD), 7.50%, 01/15/2026 (a)

815,000

780,444

Academy Ltd. (USD), 6.00%, 11/15/2027 (a)

1,023,000

1,088,779

ACI Worldwide, Inc. (USD), 5.75%, 08/15/2026 (a)

754,000

792,642

Adams Homes, Inc. (USD), 7.50%, 02/15/2025 (a)

1,145,000

1,199,387

Adient Global Holdings Ltd. (USD), 4.88%, 08/15/2026 (a)

620,000

636,275

Adient US LLC (USD), 9.00%, 04/15/2025 (a)

643,000

712,605

Aethon United BR LP / Aethon United Finance Corp. (USD), 8.25%, 02/15/2026 (a)

664,000

705,878

Affinity Gaming (USD), 6.88%, 12/15/2027 (a)

1,155,000

1,226,038

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

Ally Financial, Inc., (fixed rate to 05/15/2026, variable rate thereafter), Series B, VRN (USD), 5 year CMT + 3.868%, 4.70%, 05/15/2026 (c)

$932,000

$944,768

Ardagh Packaging Finance PLC / Ardagh Holdings USA, Inc. (USD), 5.25%, 08/15/2027 (a)

200,000

204,417

Austin BidCo, Inc. (USD), 7.13%, 12/15/2028 (a)

1,241,000

1,259,615

Avis Budget Car Rental LLC / Avis Budget Finance, Inc. (USD), 5.38%, 03/01/2029 (a)

879,000

915,259

Ball Corp. (USD), 2.88%, 08/15/2030 

745,000

719,424

Banff Merger Sub, Inc. (EUR), 8.38%, 09/01/2026 (a)

725,000

918,474

Bausch Health Americas, Inc. (USD), 8.50%, 01/31/2027 (a)

636,000

708,345

Bausch Health Cos., Inc. (USD), 7.00%, 03/15/2024 (a)

96,000

98,400

Boyd Gaming Corp. (USD), 8.63%, 06/01/2025 (a)

745,000

824,864

Carnival Corp.

(USD), 10.50%, 02/01/2026 (a)

1,090,000

1,284,728

(USD), 7.63%, 03/01/2026 (a)

156,000

170,820

CCM Merger, Inc. (USD), 6.38%, 05/01/2026 (a)

887,000

926,915

ChampionX Corp. (USD), 6.38%, 05/01/2026 

1,104,000

1,156,440

Cheniere Energy Partners LP (USD), 4.50%, 10/01/2029 

535,000

558,406

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (USD), 4.63%, 10/15/2028 (a)

327,000

340,947

Cincinnati Bell, Inc. (USD), 8.00%, 10/15/2025 (a)

1,020,000

1,081,200

Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. (USD), 9.88%, 10/17/2025 (a)

470,000

551,662

Colgate Energy Partners III LLC (USD), 7.75%, 02/15/2026 (a)

667,000

673,670

Commercial Metals Co. (USD), 3.88%, 02/15/2031 

92,000

92,000

Consolidated Communications, Inc.

(USD), 5.00%, 10/01/2028 (a)

79,000

80,185

(USD), 6.50%, 10/01/2028 (a)

1,175,000

1,265,886

Continental Resources, Inc. (USD), 5.75%, 01/15/2031 (a)

442,000

512,720

Crestwood Midstream Partners LP / Crestwood Midstream Finance Corp. (USD), 5.63%, 05/01/2027 (a)

1,260,000

1,282,050

DISH Network Corp. (USD), 3.38%, 08/15/2026 (h)

500,000

526,250

Encompass Health Corp. (USD), 4.75%, 02/01/2030 

680,000

714,000

2021 Semi-Annual Report  23

Statement of Investments (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

CORPORATE BONDS (continued)

UNITED STATES (continued)

Energy Transfer LP, (fixed rate to 05/15/2025, variable rate thereafter), Series F, VRN (USD), 5 year CMT + 5.134%, 6.75%, 05/15/2025 (c)

$830,000

$826,680

Enviva Partners LP / Enviva Partners Finance Corp. (USD), 6.50%, 01/15/2026 (a)

699,000

733,076

EQM Midstream Partners LP (USD), 6.50%, 07/01/2027 (a)

343,000

378,752

ESH Hospitality, Inc. (USD), 4.63%, 10/01/2027 (a)

1,129,000

1,196,740

Ford Motor Co.

(USD), 8.50%, 04/21/2023 

367,000

411,040

(USD), 9.00%, 04/22/2025 

1,189,000

1,452,066

(USD), 9.63%, 04/22/2030 

422,000

591,855

Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (USD), 9.75%, 08/01/2027 (a)

660,000

762,300

FXI Holdings, Inc.

(USD), 7.88%, 11/01/2024 (a)

410,000

423,325

(USD), 12.25%, 11/15/2026 (a)

365,000

422,488

General Motors Financial Co., Inc., (fixed rate to 09/30/2027, variable rate thereafter), Series A (USD), 5.75%, 09/30/2027 (c)

981,000

1,064,385

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (The)

(USD), 9.50%, 05/31/2025 

2,057,000

2,319,267

(USD), 5.63%, 04/30/2033 

230,000

230,575

Hilcorp Energy I LP / Hilcorp Finance Co.

(USD), 5.75%, 02/01/2029 (a)

724,000

736,670

(USD), 6.00%, 02/01/2031 (a)

194,000

199,820

Howmet Aerospace, Inc. (USD), 6.88%, 05/01/2025 

1,363,000

1,581,080

Icahn Enterprises LP / Icahn Enterprises Finance Corp. (USD), 4.38%, 02/01/2029 (a)

814,000

789,515

International Game Technology PLC (EUR), 3.50%, 06/15/2026 (a)

722,000

889,760

Iron Mountain, Inc.

(USD), 5.00%, 07/15/2028 (a)

610,000

631,350

(USD), 5.25%, 07/15/2030 (a)

420,000

436,275

JBS Investments II GmbH (USD), 5.75%, 01/15/2028 (a)

674,000

716,260

JBS USA LUX SA / JBS USA Food Co. / JBS USA Finance, Inc. (USD), 5.50%, 01/15/2030 (a)

795,000

874,508

Kraton Polymers LLC / Kraton Polymers Capital Corp. (USD), 4.25%, 12/15/2025 (a)

609,000

618,135

LABL Escrow Issuer LLC (USD), 10.50%, 07/15/2027 (a)(i)

410,000

451,525

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

LCPR Senior Secured Financing DAC (USD), 5.13%, 07/15/2029 (a)

$776,000

$796,129

LD Holdings Group LLC (USD), 6.13%, 04/01/2028 (a)

796,000

797,990

LogMeIn, Inc. (USD), 5.50%, 09/01/2027 (a)

932,000

971,386

Macy’s Retail Holdings LLC

(USD), 3.63%, 06/01/2024 

21,000

21,236

(USD), 5.88%, 04/01/2029 (a)

479,000

491,550

Macy’s, Inc. (USD), 8.38%, 06/15/2025 (a)

629,000

693,932

Magic Mergeco, Inc. (USD), 5.25%, 05/01/2028 (a)

491,000

497,138

Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc. (USD), 4.75%, 01/15/2028 

667,000

676,423

MDC Holdings, Inc. (USD), 3.85%, 01/15/2030 

1,685,000

1,802,950

MGM Resorts International (USD), 4.63%, 09/01/2026 

730,000

768,325

Midcontinent Communications / Midcontinent Finance Corp. (USD), 5.38%, 08/15/2027 (a)

642,000

670,505

Nabors Industries, Inc. (USD), 5.10%, 09/15/2023 

605,000

567,187

Navient Corp. (USD), 6.50%, 06/15/2022 

1,150,000

1,204,625

NCL Corp. Ltd.

(USD), 3.63%, 12/15/2024 (a)

350,000

335,965

(USD), 10.25%, 02/01/2026 (a)

1,097,000

1,290,566

(USD), 5.88%, 03/15/2026 (a)

463,000

483,835

NCL Finance Ltd. (USD), 6.13%, 03/15/2028 (a)

131,000

137,985

New Fortress Energy, Inc. (USD), 6.50%, 09/30/2026 (a)

587,000

598,934

Novelis Sheet Ingot GmbH (EUR), 3.38%, 04/15/2029 (a)

202,000

249,611

NRG Energy, Inc.

(USD), 3.38%, 02/15/2029 (a)

1,311,000

1,283,141

(USD), 3.63%, 02/15/2031 (a)

241,000

236,109

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

(USD), 3.50%, 06/15/2025 

390,000

391,950

(USD), 5.88%, 09/01/2025 

298,000

325,565

(USD), 5.50%, 12/01/2025 

171,000

183,825

(USD), 3.00%, 02/15/2027 

245,000

233,821

(USD), 6.38%, 09/01/2028 

780,000

873,600

(USD), 6.63%, 09/01/2030 

298,000

339,720

Organon Finance 1 LLC

(EUR), 2.88%, 04/30/2028 (a)

249,000

305,973

(USD), 4.13%, 04/30/2028 (a)

785,000

804,225

(USD), 5.13%, 04/30/2031 (a)

799,000

829,042

Photo Holdings Merger Sub, Inc. (USD), 8.50%, 10/01/2026 (a)

1,560,000

1,708,200

24  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statement of Investments (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

CORPORATE BONDS (continued)

UNITED STATES (continued)

Playtika Holding Corp. (USD), 4.25%, 03/15/2029 (a)

$770,000

$765,187

Qwest Capital Funding, Inc.

(USD), 6.88%, 07/15/2028 

1,015,000

1,106,350

(USD), 7.75%, 02/15/2031 

1,020,000

1,155,058

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

(USD), 11.50%, 06/01/2025 (a)

350,000

405,454

(USD), 3.70%, 03/15/2028 

365,000

346,666

(USD), 5.50%, 04/01/2028 (a)

271,000

284,198

Sabre GLBL, Inc. (USD), 7.38%, 09/01/2025 (a)

864,000

940,680

Sealed Air Corp. (USD), 4.00%, 12/01/2027 (a)

71,000

74,373

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. (USD), 4.88%, 07/31/2024 (a)

510,000

513,188

Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc. (USD), 7.00%, 07/01/2025 (a)

749,000

809,197

SM Energy Co. (USD), 5.00%, 01/15/2024 

600,000

573,822

Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. (USD), 7.50%, 04/15/2025 (a)

611,000

654,705

Staples, Inc.

(USD), 7.50%, 04/15/2026 (a)

920,000

952,200

(USD), 10.75%, 04/15/2027 (a)

215,000

222,461

SunCoke Energy Partners LP / SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp. (USD), 7.50%, 06/15/2025 (a)

1,069,000

1,113,385

Sunoco LP / Sunoco Finance Corp. (USD), 4.50%, 05/15/2029 (a)

525,000

530,250

Tenet Healthcare Corp. (USD), 4.88%, 01/01/2026 (a)

525,000

545,475

Tenneco, Inc. (USD), 5.13%, 04/15/2029 (a)

501,000

497,243

Townsquare Media, Inc. (USD), 6.88%, 02/01/2026 (a)

253,000

263,753

Travel + Leisure Co. (USD), 5.65%, 04/01/2024 

1,000,000

1,087,500

Turning Point Brands, Inc. (USD), 5.63%, 02/15/2026 (a)

1,099,000

1,134,717

Twilio, Inc.

(USD), 3.63%, 03/15/2029 

126,000

128,407

(USD), 3.88%, 03/15/2031 

351,000

360,214

Univision Communications, Inc. (USD), 6.63%, 06/01/2027 (a)

618,000

669,757

USA Compression Partners LP / USA Compression Finance Corp. (USD), 6.88%, 09/01/2027 

1,113,000

1,171,099

Viking Cruises Ltd. (USD), 13.00%, 05/15/2025 (a)

540,000

631,908

Vine Energy Holdings LLC (USD), 6.75%, 04/15/2029 (a)

919,000

919,395

 

 

Shares or
Principal
Amount

 

Value
(US$)

 

Vistra Operations Co. LLC (USD), 5.63%, 02/15/2027 (a)

$540,000

$561,600

VM Consolidated, Inc. (USD), 5.50%, 04/15/2029 (a)

900,000

914,256

Welbilt, Inc., 2018 Term Loan B (USD), 3M USD LIBOR, 2.61%, 10/23/2025 

800,000

790,000

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (USD), 6.38%, 05/15/2025 (a)

502,000

535,865

 

84,920,746

ZAMBIA (1.1%)

First Quantum Minerals Ltd.

(USD), 7.25%, 04/01/2023 (a)

672,000

684,600

(USD), 6.50%, 03/01/2024 (a)

955,000

978,875

 

1,663,475

Total Corporate Bonds

143,281,205

BANK LOANS (0.2%)

UNITED KINGDOM (0.2%)

Froneri International Ltd., 2020 USD 2nd Lien Term Loan (USD), 1M USD LIBOR, 5.86%, 01/31/2028 

316,000

316,658

Total Bank Loans

316,658

EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS (4.3%)

UNITED STATES (4.3%)

iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

75,000

6,558,000

Total Exchange-Traded Funds

6,558,000

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT—2.5%

UNITED STATES (2.5%)

State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Premier Class, 0.03%(j)

3,869,332

3,869,332

Total Short-Term Investment

3,869,332

Total Investments
(Cost $147,211,056) (k)—100.5%

154,025,195

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets—(0.5)%

(813,696

)

Net Assets—100.0%

$153,211,499

(a)Denotes a security issued under Regulation S or Rule 144A.

(b)Payment-in-kind. This is a type of bond that pays interest in additional bonds rather than in cash.

(c)Perpetual bond. This is a bond that has no maturity date, is redeemable and pays a steady stream of interest indefinitely. The maturity date presented for these instruments represents the next call/put date.

(d)Variable Rate Instrument. The rate shown is based on the latest available information as of April 30, 2021. Certain variable rate securities are not based on a published reference rate and spread but are determined by the issuer or agent and are based on current market conditions. These securities do not indicate a reference rate and spread in their description.

(e)Security is in default.

(f)Illiquid security.

(g)Indicates a stepped coupon bond. This bond was issued with a low coupon that gradually increases over the life of the bond.

(h)Convertible Bond

2021 Semi-Annual Report  25

Statement of Investments (concluded)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

(i)Level 3 security. See Note 2(a) of the accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

(j)Registered investment company advised by State Street Global Advisors. The rate shown is the 7 day yield as of April 30, 2021.

(k)See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements for tax unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) of securities.

CMTConstant Maturity Treasury

ETFExchange-Traded Fund

EUREuro Currency

GBPBritish Pound Sterling

PIKPayment In Kind

PLCPublic Limited Company

USDU.S. Dollar

At April 30, 2021, the Fund’s open forward foreign currency exchange contracts were as follows:

Sale Contracts
Settlement Date*

Counterparty

 

 

Amount
Purchased

 

 

Amount
Sold

 

Fair Value

 

Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)

 

United States Dollar/British Pound

07/14/2021

Citibank N.A.

USD

6,731,976

GBP

4,892,000

$6,757,435

$(25,459

)

United States Dollar/Euro

07/14/2021

Citibank N.A.

USD

17,178,176

EUR

14,403,000

17,341,330

(163,154

)

07/14/2021

Royal Bank of Canada (UK)

USD

2,398,390

EUR

1,985,000

2,389,956

8,434

 

$26,488,721

$(180,179

)

Total unrealized appreciation on open forward foreign currency exchange contracts $  8,434

Total unrealized depreciation on open forward foreign currency exchange contracts $(188,613)

*Certain contracts with different trade dates and like characteristics have been shown net.

26  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statements of Assets and Liabilities (Unaudited)

April 30, 2021

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund

 

Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund

 

Aberdeen
Total Return
Bond Fund

 

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

 

Assets:

Investments in securities, at fair value

$

146,587,189

$

75,846,074

$

184,552,876

$

150,155,863

Short-term investments

1,476,888

1,214,865

19,358,478

3,869,332

Foreign currency, at fair value

48,876

20,981

419,920

252,437

Cash collateral pledged for futures

357,379

Receivable for investments sold

2,710,154

723,601

Interest and dividends receivable

125,438

100,206

828,328

2,015,879

Receivable for capital shares issued

11,554

25,807

162,417

71,242

Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

180,090

8,434

Variation margin receivable for futures contracts

122,563

Tax reclaim receivable

297,519

72,011

Prepaid expenses

 

22,774

 

11,665

 

34,935

 

22,938

Total assets

 

148,570,238

 

77,291,609

 

208,727,140

 

157,119,726

Liabilities:

Payable for investments purchased

10,179,714

3,471,331

Unrealized depreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

344,759

188,613

Payable for capital shares redeemed

49,638

7,189

156,792

26,789

Payable for income taxes (See note 2g of the Notes to Financial Statements)

9,807,344

2,522,118

Accrued expenses and other payables:

Custodian fees

33,067

35,563

58,526

45,491

Investment advisory fees

62,753

24,691

14,362

27,044

Legal fees

23,773

12,679

38,672

16,172

Interest expense on line of credit

15

120

5,335

Audit fees

11,134

14,133

26,282

26,529

Distribution fees

23,823

8,321

5,656

17,797

Sub-transfer agent and administrative services fees

17,485

4,583

5,062

22,300

Transfer agent fees

5,273

3,081

3,497

8,729

Other accrued expenses

 

58,887

 

60,663

 

77,939

 

52,097

Total liabilities

 

10,093,192

 

2,693,141

 

10,911,261

 

3,908,227

Net Assets

$

138,477,046

$

74,598,468

$

197,815,879

$

153,211,499

 

Cost:

Investments in securities, at cost

$

139,295,211

$

51,643,337

$

183,683,474

$

143,341,724

Short-term investment

1,476,888

1,214,865

19,358,478

3,869,332

Foreign currency

49,243

20,943

420,530

254,644

 

Net Assets Consist of:

Par value

$

4,338

$

4,464

$

14,947

$

17,749

Paid in capital in excess of par value

529,140,861

73,050,269

197,719,473

383,488,310

Distributable earnings (accumulated loss)

 

(390,668,153

)

 

1,543,735

 

81,459

 

(230,294,560

)

Net Assets

$

138,477,046

$

74,598,468

$

197,815,879

$

153,211,499

 

Net Assets

Class A Shares

$

115,427,296

$

40,654,148

$

27,130,981

$

86,449,076

Institutional Class Shares

 

23,049,750

 

33,944,320

 

170,684,898

 

66,762,423

Total

$

138,477,046

$

74,598,468

$

197,815,879

$

153,211,499

Shares Outstanding*

Class A Shares

3,632,681

2,433,952

2,015,811

9,657,537

Institutional Class Shares

 

705,606

 

2,030,501

 

12,930,711

 

8,091,010

Total

 

4,338,287

 

4,464,453

 

14,946,522

 

17,748,547

Net asset value and redemption price per share

Class A Shares

$

31.77

$

16.70

$

13.46

$

8.95

Institutional Class Shares

$

32.67

$

16.72

$

13.20

$

8.25

*Under the Trust Agreement, the Trustees have authority to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest, par value $.001 per share. The Board of Trustees is authorized to reclassify and issue any unissued shares to any number of additional series without shareholder approval.

Amounts listed as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  27

Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

April 30, 2021

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund

 

Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund

 

Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

 

Aberdeen Global High Income Fund

INVESTMENT INCOME:

Dividend income

$

714,682

$

511,263

$

$

172,550

Interest income

233

2,021,916

4,128,895

Foreign tax withholding

 

(95,230

)

(28,554

)

(1,406

)

Total Income

 

619,452

482,942

2,020,510

4,301,445

EXPENSES:

Investment advisory fees

546,113

283,254

349,491

505,547

Trustee fees

46,639

22,875

70,527

58,563

Legal fees

35,886

18,186

51,768

44,441

Audit fees

20,529

20,529

24,842

25,090

Printing fees

20,451

12,894

14,645

22,930

Custodian fees

91,954

75,314

96,115

90,135

Transfer agent fees

14,523

12,037

12,408

18,985

Distribution fees Class A

142,290

48,020

35,539

109,846

Sub-transfer agent and administrative service fees Class A

67,039

19,377

8,612

49,680

Sub-transfer agent and administrative service fees Class I

3,545

8,112

17,638

21,345

Registration and filing fees

18,624

18,393

19,753

24,688

Other

 

56,232

 

39,889

 

47,344

 

75,640

Total expenses before reimbursed/waived expenses

 

1,063,825

 

578,880

 

748,682

 

1,046,890

Interest expense

 

8

 

 

 

Total operating expenses before reimbursed/waived expenses

1,063,833

578,880

748,682

1,046,890

Expenses reimbursed

(167,217

)

(139,614

)

(268,786

)

(349,832

)

Expenses waived by investment adviser

 

(3,413

)

 

(1,770

)

 

(4,993

)

 

(3,889

)

Total operating expenses

 

893,203

 

437,496

 

474,903

 

693,169

Net Investment Income/(Loss)

(273,751

)

45,446

1,545,607

3,608,276

 

Realized gain on investment transactions

30,099,948

1,767,892

688,677

1,932,354

Realized gain on futures contracts

(693,990

)

Realized gain/(loss) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

(149,142

)

(698,450

)

Realized gain/(loss) on foreign currency transactions

 

(72,969

)

 

(7,657

)

 

26,200

 

47,480

Net realized gain/(loss) from investments, futures, written options, credit default swaps, forward foreign currency exchange contracts and foreign currency transactions

 

30,026,979

 

1,760,235

 

(128,255

)

 

1,281,384

Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on investment transactions

(3,324,739

)

14,621,572

(1,491,148

)

7,806,929

Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on futures contracts

(214,030

)

Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange rate contracts

(149,447

)

(323,658

)

Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on translation of assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies

 

2,818

 

99,863

 

2,348

 

9,235

Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) from investments, futures, forward foreign currency exchange contracts and translation of assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies

 

(3,321,921

)

 

14,721,435

 

(1,852,277

)

 

7,492,506

Net realized/unrealized gain/(loss) from investments, futures, forward foreign currency exchange contracts and translation of assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies

 

26,705,058

 

16,481,670

 

(1,980,532

)

 

8,773,890

CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS

$

26,431,307

$

16,527,116

$

(434,925

)

$

12,382,166

Amounts listed as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

28  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

Aberdeen International
Sustainable Leaders Fund

Aberdeen Global
Equity Impact Fund

 

 

Six-Month
Period Ended
April 30, 2021 (Unaudited) 

Year Ended
October 31, 2020

Six-Month
Period Ended
April 30, 2021 (Unaudited) 

Year Ended
October 31, 2020

FROM INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES:

Operations:

Net investment income/(loss)

$

(273,751

)

$

901,103

$

45,446

$

307,605

Net realized gain/(loss) from investments, futures, written options, credit default swaps, forward foreign currency exchange contracts and foreign currency transactions

30,026,979

(9,654,435

)

1,760,235

1,676,096

Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on investments, futures, forward foreign currency exchange contracts and translation of assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies

 

(3,321,921

)

 

9,784,807

 

14,721,435

 

6,603,240

Changes in net assets resulting from operations

 

26,431,307

 

1,031,475

 

16,527,116

 

8,586,941

Distributions to Shareholders From:

Distributable earnings:

Class A

(712,615

)

(5,312,435

)

(139,504

)

(803,122

)

Institutional Class

 

(218,647

)

 

(1,093,873

)

 

(214,903

)

 

(726,056

)

Change in net assets from shareholder distributions

 

(931,262

)

 

(6,406,308

)

 

(354,407

)

 

(1,529,178

)

 

Change in net assets from capital transactions

 

(7,850,219

)

 

(21,659,634

)

 

(1,593,598

)

 

(9,908,458

)

Change in net assets

 

17,649,826

 

(27,034,467

)

 

14,579,111

 

(2,850,695

)

Net Assets:

Beginning of period

 

120,827,220

147,861,687

60,019,357

62,870,052

End of period

$

138,477,046

$

120,827,220

$

74,598,468

$

60,019,357

 

CAPITAL TRANSACTIONS:

Class A Shares

Proceeds from shares issued

$

581,212

$

771,481

$

2,726,336

$

1,039,587

Dividends reinvested

697,660

5,206,109

136,271

789,572

Cost of shares redeemed

 

(7,927,442

)

 

(21,183,921

)

 

(3,136,936

)

 

(8,374,926

)

Total Class A

 

(6,648,570

)

 

(15,206,331

)

 

(274,329

)

 

(6,545,767

)

Institutional Class Shares

Proceeds from shares issued

461,921

589,349

338,859

973,288

Dividends reinvested

207,612

1,038,151

195,614

658,005

Cost of shares redeemed

 

(1,871,182

)

 

(8,080,803

)

 

(1,853,742

)

 

(4,993,984

)

Total Institutional Class

 

(1,201,649

)

 

(6,453,303

)

 

(1,319,269

)

 

(3,362,691

)

Change in net assets from capital transactions:

$

(7,850,219

)

$

(21,659,634

)

$

(1,593,598

)

$

(9,908,458

)

 

SHARE TRANSACTIONS:

Class A Shares

Issued

18,867

30,509

177,085

85,138

Reinvested

23,040

195,058

8,912

65,200

Redeemed

 

(257,887

)

 

(846,478

)

 

(200,358

)

 

(717,173

)

Total Class A Shares

 

(215,980

)

 

(620,911

)

 

(14,361

)

 

(566,835

)

Institutional Class Shares

Issued

14,526

22,690

21,656

78,425

Reinvested

6,676

37,834

12,794

54,291

Redeemed

 

(58,743

)

 

(304,811

)

 

(116,664

)

 

(424,815

)

Total Institutional Class Shares

 

(37,541

)

 

(244,287

)

 

(82,214

)

 

(292,099

)

Total change in shares:

 

(253,521

)

 

(865,198

)

 

(96,575

)

 

(858,934

)

Amounts listed as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  29

Statements of Changes in Net Assets (concluded)

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

Aberdeen Total
Return Bond Fund

Aberdeen Global
High Income Fund

 

 

Six-Month
Period Ended
April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Year Ended
October 31, 2020

Six-Month
Period Ended
April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Year Ended
October 31, 2020

FROM INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES:

Operations:

Net investment income

$

1,545,607

$

4,193,134

$

3,608,276

$

8,462,633

Net realized gain/(loss) from investments, futures, written options, credit default swaps, forward foreign currency exchange contracts and foreign currency transactions

(128,255

)

14,135,830

1,281,384

(3,401,664

)

Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on investments, futures, forward foreign currency exchange contracts and translation of assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies

 

(1,852,277

)

 

(3,196,325

)

 

7,492,506

 

(3,267,228

)

Changes in net assets resulting from operations

 

(434,925

)

 

15,132,639

 

12,382,166

 

1,793,741

Distributions to Shareholders From:

Distributable earnings:

Class A

(1,887,775

)

(660,922

)

(1,925,324

)

(4,453,918

)

Institutional Class

 

(11,869,766

)

 

(4,424,226

)

 

(1,743,172

)

 

(3,724,345

)

Change in net assets from shareholder distributions

 

(13,757,541

)

 

(5,085,148

)

 

(3,668,496

)

 

(8,178,263

)

 

Change in net assets from capital transactions

 

9,760,874

 

9,118,987

 

(1,096,733

)

 

(66,034,490

)

Change in net assets

 

(4,431,592

)

 

19,166,478

 

7,616,937

 

(72,419,012

)

Net Assets:

Beginning of period

 

202,247,471

 

183,080,993

 

145,594,562

 

218,013,574

End of period

$

197,815,879

$

202,247,471

$

153,211,499

$

145,594,562

 

CAPITAL TRANSACTIONS:

Class A Shares

Proceeds from shares issued

$

3,179,960

$

10,426,974

$

3,851,913

$

18,196,380

Dividends reinvested

1,740,001

596,699

1,846,321

4,263,692

Cost of shares redeemed

 

(6,176,692

)

 

(8,846,301

)

 

(11,743,606

)

 

(46,864,551

)

Total Class A

 

(1,256,731

)

 

2,177,372

 

(6,045,372

)

 

(24,404,479

)

Institutional Class Shares

Proceeds from shares issued

28,658,903

52,392,046

29,516,489

65,628,374

Dividends reinvested

11,210,604

4,108,931

1,631,496

3,169,670

Cost of shares redeemed

 

(28,851,902

)

 

(49,559,362

)

 

(26,199,346

)

 

(110,428,055

)

Total Institutional Class

 

11,017,605

 

6,941,615

 

4,948,639

 

(41,630,011

)

Change in net assets from capital transactions:

$

9,760,874

$

9,118,987

$

(1,096,733

)

$

(66,034,490

)

 

SHARE TRANSACTIONS:

Class A Shares

Issued

230,751

733,946

437,558

2,135,914

Reinvested

125,616

42,614

207,730

509,063

Redeemed

 

(443,175

)

 

(626,369

)

 

(1,323,092

)

 

(5,641,214

)

Total Class A Shares

 

(86,808

)

 

150,191

 

(677,804

)

 

(2,996,237

)

Institutional Class Shares

Issued

2,107,876

3,775,726

3,632,217

8,466,151

Reinvested

825,001

298,491

198,949

406,876

Redeemed

 

(2,129,313

)

 

(3,601,409

)

 

(3,194,708

)

 

(14,020,800

)

Total Institutional Class Shares

 

803,564

 

472,808

 

636,458

 

(5,147,773

)

Total change in shares:

 

716,756

 

622,999

 

(41,346

)

 

(8,144,010

)

Amounts listed as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  31

Financial Highlights (continued)

Selected Data for Each Share of Capital Outstanding Throughout the Periods Indicated

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

30  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Financial Highlights

Selected Data for Each Share of Capital Outstanding Throughout the Periods Indicated

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders FundAberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund

 

Investment Activities

Distributions

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

Net
Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)
(a)

Net
Realized
and
Unrealized
Gains
(Losses) on Investments

Total
from
Investment
Activities

Net
Investment
Income

Tax
Return
of
Capital

Total
Distributions

Net
Asset
Value,
End of
Period

Total
Return
(b)

Net Assets
at End of Period
(000’s)

Ratio of Expenses (Net of Reimbursement/Waivers and Excluding Accruals for Estimated Tax Due on Foreign Tax Refund Recoveries) to Average Net Assets

Ratio of Expenses
(Net of Reimbursements/Waivers)
to Average Net Assets
(c)(d)

Ratio of Expenses
(Prior to Reimbursements)
to Average Net Assets
(c)(d)(e)

Ratio of Net
Investment Income (Loss)
to Average Net Assets
(c)

Portfolio
Turnover
(b)(f)

Class A Shares

Six Months Ended April 30, 2021*

$26.19

$(0.07

)

$5.84

$5.77

$(0.19

)

$

$(0.19

)

$31.77

22.06

%

$115,427

1.35

%

1.35

%

1.61

%

(0.44

%)

96

%

Year Ended October 31, 2020

26.95

0.17

0.29

0.46

(1.22

)

(1.22

)

26.19

1.63

%(g)

100,780

1.38

%

1.38

%

1.71

%

0.67

%

34

%

Year Ended October 31, 2019

23.64

0.81

(h)

2.70

3.51

(0.20

)

(0.20

)

26.95

15.02

%(h)

120,472

1.44

%

2.99

%

3.06

%

3.24

%(h)

132

%

Year Ended October 31, 2018

28.01

0.01

(3.20

)

(3.19

)

(1.15

)

(0.03

)

(1.18

)

23.64

(11.93

%)

126,383

1.54

%

2.50

%

2.50

%

0.05

%

19

%

Year Ended October 31, 2017

22.26

1.75

(i)

4.22

5.97

(0.22

)

(0.22

)

28.01

27.14

%(i)

177,342

1.42

%

3.93

%

3.93

%

7.02

%(i)

18

%

Year Ended October 31, 2016

22.82

0.45

(j)

(0.29

)

0.16

(0.72

)

(0.72

)

22.26

0.99

%(j)(k)

182,094

1.35

%

1.42

%

1.42

%

2.08

%(j)

23

%

Institutional Class Shares

Six Months Ended April 30, 2021*

26.98

(0.03

)

6.02

5.99

(0.30

)

(0.30

)

32.67

22.25

%

23,050

1.10

%

1.10

%

1.28

%

(0.19

%)

96

%

Year Ended October 31, 2020

27.74

0.24

0.30

0.54

(1.30

)

(1.30

)

26.98

1.86

%(g)

20,047

1.13

%

1.13

%

1.33

%

0.90

%

34

%

Year Ended October 31, 2019

24.27

0.91

(h)

2.77

3.68

(0.21

)

(0.21

)

27.74

15.34

%(h)

27,390

1.18

%

2.77

%

2.82

%

3.53

%(h)

132

%

Year Ended October 31, 2018

28.73

0.09

(3.30

)

(3.21

)

(1.22

)

(0.03

)

(1.25

)

24.27

(11.71

%)

26,633

1.30

%

2.22

%

2.23

%

0.33

%

19

%

Year Ended October 31, 2017

22.84

1.72

(i)

4.46

6.18

(0.29

)

(0.29

)

28.73

27.42

%(i)

35,318

1.17

%

3.46

%

3.46

%

6.65

%(i)

18

%

Year Ended October 31, 2016

23.40

0.51

(j)

(0.28

)

0.23

(0.79

)

(0.79

)

22.84

1.30

%(j)(k)

32,094

1.10

%

1.17

%

1.17

%

2.31

%(j)

23

%

*Unaudited

(a)Net investment income/(loss) is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

(b)Not annualized for periods less than one year.

(c)Annualized for periods less than one year.

(d)Includes interest expense that amounts to less than 0.01%.

(e)During the period, certain fees were waived and/or reimbursed. If such waivers/reimbursements had not occurred, the ratios would have been as indicated.

(f)Portfolio turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without distinguishing among the classes of shares.

(g)Included within Total Return is the effect of withholding tax refunds and income taxes on recovered refunds (Note 2g of the Notes to Financial Statements). If such amounts were excluded, the Total Return for Class A Shares would have been (0.38%). For Institutional Class Shares, this amount would have been (0.11%).

(h)Included within Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets are the effects of withholding tax refunds and income taxes on recovered refunds (Note 2g of the Notes to Financial Statements). If such amounts were excluded, the Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Loss to Average Net Assets for Class A Shares would have been $0.28, 12.13%, and 1.13%, respectively. For Institutional Class Shares, these amounts would have been $0.37,12.41%, and 1.42%, respectively.

(i)Included within Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets are the effects of withholding tax refunds and income taxes on recovered refunds (Note 2g of the Notes to Financial Statements). If such amounts were excluded, the Net Investment Loss per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Loss to Average Net Assets for Class A Shares would have been $(0.14), 20.27%, and (0.55)%, respectively. For Institutional Class Shares, these amounts would have been $(0.24), 20.55%, and (0.92)%, respectively.

(j)Included within Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets are the effects of a one-time reimbursement for overbilling of prior years’ custodian out-of-pocket fees. If such amounts were excluded, the impact to the Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets for Class A Shares would have been reduced by $0.03, 0.13%, and 0.13%, respectively. For Institutional Class Shares, these amounts would have been reduced by $0.03, 0.13%, and 0.13%, respectively.

(k)Included within Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Investment per share is a payment that was made from affiliate, during the fiscal year ended October 31,2016, which contributed $113,111 to the Fund to correctly record an aged dividend receivable at its net realizable value inclusive of currency fluctuations. If such payment was excluded, the total return would have been 0.94% for Class A Shares and 1.21% for Institutional Class Shares.

Amounts listed as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  33

Financial Highlights (continued)

Selected Data for Each Share of Capital Outstanding Throughout the Periods Indicated

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

32  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Financial Highlights (continued)

Selected Data for Each Share of Capital Outstanding Throughout the Periods Indicated

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

Aberdeen Global Equity Impact FundAberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund

 

Investment Activities

Distributions

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

Net
Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

Net
Investment
Income
(a)

Net
Realized
and
Unrealized
Gains
(Losses) on Investments

Total
from
Investment
Activities

Net
Investment
Income

Total
Distributions

Net
Asset
Value,
End of
Period

Total
Return
(b)

Net Assets
at End of Period
(000’s)

Ratio of Expenses (Net of Reimbursement/Waivers and Excluding Accruals for Estimated Tax Due on Foreign Tax Refund Recoveries) to Average Net Assets

Ratio of Expenses
(Net of Reimbursements/Waivers)
to Average Net Assets
(c)(d)

Ratio of Expenses
(Prior to Reimbursements)
to Average Net Assets
(c)(d)

Ratio of Net
Investment Income
to Average Net Assets

Portfolio
Turnover
(b)(e)

Class A Shares

Six Months Ended April 30, 2021*

$13.14

$

(f)

$3.62

$3.62

$(0.06

)

$(0.06

)

$16.70

27.58

%(g)

$40,654

1.35

%

1.35

%

1.77

%

0.02

%

6

%

Year Ended October 31, 2020

11.59

0.05

1.77

1.82

(0.27

)

(0.27

)

13.14

15.93

%(h)

32,180

1.41

%

1.41

%(i)

1.92

%(i)

0.40

%

32

%

Year Ended October 31, 2019

10.29

0.18

(j)

1.30

1.48

(0.18

)

(0.18

)

11.59

14.76

%(j)

34,933

1.53

%

2.21

%(i)

2.47

%(i)

1.69

%(j)

125

%

Year Ended October 31, 2018

11.95

0.08

(1.41

)

(1.33

)

(0.33

)

(0.33

)

10.29

(11.48

%)

35,964

1.77

%

2.44

%(i)

2.44

%(i)

0.72

%

19

%

Year Ended October 31, 2017

9.79

0.43

(k)

1.89

2.32

(0.16

)

(0.16

)

11.95

24.10

%(k)

49,363

1.58

%

3.14

%(i)

3.15

%(i)

3.98

%(k)

13

%

Year Ended October 31, 2016

10.03

0.14

(l)

(0.08

)

0.06

(0.30

)

(0.30

)

9.79

0.83

%(l)(m)

59,390

1.45

%

1.49

%(i)

1.50

%(i)

1.49

%(l)

23

%

Institutional Class Shares

Six Months Ended April 30, 2021*

13.18

0.02

3.62

3.64

(0.10

)

(0.10

)

16.72

27.71

%(g)

33,944

1.10

%

1.10

%

1.47

%

0.26

%

6

%

Year Ended October 31, 2020

11.62

0.08

1.79

1.87

(0.31

)

(0.31

)

13.18

16.30

%(h)

27,839

1.16

%

1.16

%(i)

1.61

%(i)

0.65

%

32

%

Year Ended October 31, 2019

10.30

0.21

(j)

1.30

1.51

(0.19

)

(0.19

)

11.62

14.99

%(j)

27,937

1.28

%

1.97

%(i)

2.20

%(i)

1.95

%(j)

125

%

Year Ended October 31, 2018

11.96

0.10

(1.40

)

(1.30

)

(0.36

)

(0.36

)

10.30

(11.23

%)

28,477

1.52

%

2.22

%(i)

2.23

%(i)

0.89

%

19

%

Year Ended October 31, 2017

9.81

0.45

(k)

1.88

2.33

(0.18

)

(0.18

)

11.96

24.32

%(k)

44,659

1.33

%

2.88

%(i)

2.89

%(i)

4.22

%(k)

13

%

Year Ended October 31, 2016

10.04

0.16

(l)

(0.06

)

0.10

(0.33

)

(0.33

)

9.81

1.25

%(l)(m)

44,191

1.22

%

1.26

%(i)

1.27

%(i)

1.71

%(l)

23

%

*Unaudited

(a)Net investment income/(loss) is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

(b)Not annualized for periods less than one year.

(c)Annualized for periods less than one year.

(d)During the period, certain fees were waived and/or reimbursed. If such waivers/reimbursements had not occurred, the ratios would have been as indicated.

(e)Portfolio turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without distinguishing among the classes of shares.

(f)Less than $0.005 per share.

(g)Included within Total Return is the effect of withholding tax refunds and income taxes on recovered refunds (Note 2g of the Notes to Financial Statements). If such amounts were excluded, the Total Return for Class A Shares would have been 35.99%. For Institutional Class Shares, this amount would have been 36.23%.

(h)Included within Total Return is the effect of withholding tax refunds and income taxes on recovered refunds (Note 2g of the Notes to Financial Statements). If such amounts were excluded, the Total Return for Class A Shares would have been 15.82%. For Institutional Class Shares, this amount would have been 16.12%.

(i)Includes interest expense that amounts to less than 0.01%.

(j)Included within Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets are the effects of withholding tax refunds and income taxes on recovered refunds (Note 2g of the Notes to Financial Statements). If such amounts were excluded, the Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Loss to Average Net Assets for Class A Shares would have been $0.08, 13.56%, and 0.77%, respectively. For Institutional Class Shares, these amounts would have been $0.11, 13.81%, and 1.03%, respectively.

(k)Included within Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets are the effects of withholding tax refunds and income taxes on recovered refunds (Note 2g of the Notes to Financial Statements). If such amounts were excluded, the Net Investment Loss per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Loss to Average Net Assets for Class A Shares would have been $(0.06), 20.03%, and (0.61)%, respectively. For Institutional Class Shares, these amounts would have been $(0.04), 20.24%, and (0.37)%, respectively.

(l)Included within Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets are the effects of a one-time reimbursement for overbilling of prior years’ custodian out-of-pocket fees. If such amounts were excluded, the impact to the Net Investment Income per share, Total Return, and Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets for Class A Shares would have been reduced by $0.02, 0.21%, and 0.20%, respectively. For Institutional Class Shares, these amounts would have been by reduced $0.03, 0.31%, and 0.19%, respectively.

(m)Included within Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Investment per share is a payment that was made from affiliate, during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, which contributed $127,579 to the Global Equity Impact Fund, to correctly record an aged dividend receivable at its net realizable value inclusive of currency fluctuations. If such payment was excluded, the total return would have been 0.73% for Class A Shares and 1.04% for Institutional Class Shares.

Amounts listed as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  35

Financial Highlights (continued)

Selected Data for Each Share of Capital Outstanding Throughout the Periods Indicated

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

34  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Financial Highlights (continued)

Selected Data for Each Share of Capital Outstanding Throughout the Periods Indicated

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

Aberdeen Total Return Bond FundAberdeen Total Return Bond Fund

 

Investment Activities

Distributions

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

Net
Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

Net
Investment
Income
(a)

Net
Realized
and
Unrealized
Gains
(Losses) on Investments

Total
from
Investment
Activities

Net
Investment
Income

Net
Realized
Gains

Tax
Return
of
Capital

Total
Distributions

Net
Asset
Value,
End of
Period

Total
Return
(b)

Net Assets
at End of
Period
(000’s)

Ratio of Expenses
(Net of Reimbursements/Waivers) to
Average Net Assets
(c)

Ratio of Expenses
(Prior to Reimbursements)
to Average Net Assets
(c)(d)

Ratio of Net
Investment Income
to Average Net Assets

Portfolio
Turnover
(b)(e)

Class A Shares

Six Months Ended April 30, 2021*

$14.43

$0.09

$(0.12

)

$(0.03

)

$(0.15

)

$(0.79

)

$

$(0.94

)

$13.46

(0.25

%)

$27,131

0.69

%

1.01

%

1.33

%

111

%

Year Ended October 31, 2020

13.64

0.28

0.84

1.12

(0.33

)

(0.33

)

14.43

8.31

%

30,336

0.69

%

1.03

%

1.99

%

269

%

Year Ended October 31, 2019

12.49

0.36

1.09

1.45

(0.30

)

(0.30

)

13.64

11.72

%

26,639

0.69

%

0.98

%

2.75

%

141

%

Year Ended October 31, 2018

13.33

0.34

(0.74

)

(0.40

)

(0.35

)

(0.07

)

(0.02

)

(0.44

)

12.49

(3.19

%)

38,426

0.69

%(f)

0.88

%(f)

2.67

%

148

%

Year Ended October 31, 2017

13.83

0.33

(0.18

)

0.15

(0.18

)

(0.47

)

(0.65

)

13.33

1.21

%(g)

62,556

0.69

%(f)

0.76

%(f)

2.46

%

151

%

Year Ended October 31, 2016

13.32

0.34

0.32

0.66

(0.15

)

(0.15

)

13.83

5.02

%

65,242

0.69

%(f)

0.74

%(f)

2.47

%

151

%

Institutional Class Shares

Six Months Ended April 30, 2021*

14.18

0.11

(0.12

)

(0.01

)

(0.18

)

(0.79

)

(0.97

)

13.20

(0.15

%)

170,685

0.44

%

0.71

%

1.58

%

111

%

Year Ended October 31, 2020

13.42

0.31

0.83

1.14

(0.38

)

(0.38

)

14.18

8.59

%

171,912

0.44

%

0.74

%

2.25

%

269

%

Year Ended October 31, 2019

12.30

0.39

1.07

1.46

(0.34

)

(0.34

)

13.42

12.02

%

156,442

0.44

%

0.68

%

2.98

%

141

%

Year Ended October 31, 2018

13.14

0.37

(0.74

)

(0.37

)

(0.38

)

(0.07

)

(0.02

)

(0.47

)

12.30

(2.96

%)

173,427

0.44

%(f)

0.62

%(f)

2.93

%

148

%

Year Ended October 31, 2017

13.64

0.36

(0.18

)

0.18

(0.21

)

(0.47

)

(0.68

)

13.14

1.50

%(g)

253,218

0.44

%(f)

0.51

%(f)

2.71

%

151

%

Year Ended October 31, 2016

13.14

0.36

0.33

0.69

(0.19

)

(0.19

)

13.64

5.29

%

454,335

0.44

%(f)

0.47

%(f)

2.72

%

151

%

*Unaudited

(a)Net investment income/(loss) is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

(b)Not annualized for periods less than one year.

(c)Annualized for periods less than one year.

(d)During the period, certain fees were waived and/or reimbursed. If such waivers/reimbursements had not occurred, the ratios would have been as indicated.

(e)Portfolio turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without distinguishing among the classes of shares.

(f)Includes interest expense that amounts to less than 0.01%.

(g)The total return shown above includes the impact of financial statement rounding of the NAV per share and/or financial statement adjustments.

Amounts listed as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  37

Financial Highlights (concluded)

Selected Data for Each Share of Capital Outstanding Throughout the Periods Indicated

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

36  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Financial Highlights (continued)

Selected Data for Each Share of Capital Outstanding Throughout the Periods Indicated

See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

Aberdeen Global High Income FundAberdeen Global High Income Fund

 

Investment Activities

Distributions

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

Net
Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

Net
Investment
Income
(f)

Net
Realized
and
Unrealized
Gains
(Losses) on Investments

Total
from
Investment
Activities

Net
Investment
Income

Tax
Return
of
Capital

Total
Distributions

Net
Asset
Value,
End of
Period

Total
Return
(d)

Net Assets
at End of Period
(000’s)

Ratio of Expenses
(Net of Reimbursements/Waivers) to
Average Net Assets
(b)(a)

Ratio of Expenses
(Prior to Reimbursements)
to Average Net Assets
(b)(a)

Ratio of Net
Investment Income
to Average Net Assets(b)

Portfolio
Turnover
(d)(c)

Class A Shares

Six Months Ended April 30, 2021*

$8.45

$0.20

$0.49

$0.69

$(0.19

)

$

$(0.19

)

$8.95

8.26

%

$86,449

1.00

%

1.48

%

4.54

%

63

%

Year Ended October 31, 2020

8.71

0.40

(0.28

)

0.12

(0.38

)

(0.38

)

8.45

1.55

%

87,358

1.00

%(e)

1.45

%(e)

4.76

%

99

%

Year Ended October 31, 2019

8.74

0.44

0.19

0.63

(0.58

)

(0.08

)

(0.66

)

8.71

7.65

%

116,126

1.00

%(e)

1.33

%(e)

5.14

%

98

%

Year Ended October 31, 2018

9.23

0.50

(0.56

)

(0.06

)

(0.43

)

(0.43

)

8.74

(0.66

%)

131,219

1.00

%(e)

1.22

%(e)

5.56

%

37

%

Year Ended October 31, 2017

8.80

0.52

0.38

0.90

(0.43

)

(0.04

)

(0.47

)

9.23

10.50

%

185,613

1.00

%(e)

1.14

%(e)

5.79

%

51

%

Year Ended October 31, 2016

8.98

0.49

(0.33

)

0.16

(0.34

)

(0.34

)

8.80

1.91

%

233,369

1.00

%(e)

1.06

%(e)

5.76

%

72

%

Institutional Class Shares

Six Months Ended April 30, 2021*

7.81

0.19

0.46

0.65

(0.21

)

(0.21

)

8.25

8.37

%

66,762

0.75

%

1.17

%

4.77

%

63

%

Year Ended October 31, 2020

8.08

0.39

(0.25

)

0.14

(0.41

)

(0.41

)

7.81

1.86

%

58,237

0.75

%(e)

1.10

%(e)

5.01

%

99

%

Year Ended October 31, 2019

8.16

0.43

0.17

0.60

(0.61

)

(0.07

)

(0.68

)

8.08

7.91

%

101,888

0.75

%(e)

1.05

%(e)

5.39

%

98

%

Year Ended October 31, 2018

8.65

0.49

(0.53

)

(0.04

)

(0.45

)

(0.45

)

8.16

(0.43

%)

89,839

0.75

%(e)

0.95

%(e)

5.80

%

37

%

Year Ended October 31, 2017

8.28

0.51

0.35

0.86

(0.45

)

(0.04

)

(0.49

)

8.65

10.76

%

203,575

0.75

%(e)

0.87

%(e)

6.01

%

51

%

Year Ended October 31, 2016

8.47

0.48

(0.31

)

0.17

(0.36

)

(0.36

)

8.28

2.21

%

351,466

0.75

%(e)

0.79

%(e)

6.00

%

72

%

*Unaudited

(a)During the period, certain fees were waived and/or reimbursed. If such waivers/reimbursements had not occurred, the ratios would have been as indicated.

(b)Annualized for periods less than one year.

(c)Portfolio turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without distinguishing among the classes of shares.

(d)Not annualized for periods less than one year.

(e)Includes interest expense that amounts to less than 0.01%.

(f)Net investment income/(loss) is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

Amounts listed as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

38  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

1. Organization

Aberdeen Investment Funds (the “Trust”) was organized as a business trust under the laws of the State of Massachusetts by a Master Trust Agreement adopted on April 30, 1992 and is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) as an open-end management investment company. As of April 30, 2021, the Trust offered four diversified, open-ended investment funds: Aberdeen International Sustainable Leaders Fund (the “International Sustainable Leaders Fund”), Aberdeen Global Equity Impact Fund (“Global Equity Impact Fund”), Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund (the “Total Return Bond Fund”), and Aberdeen Global High Income Fund (the “Global High Income Fund”). Each series of the Trust is also referred to herein as a “Fund” or collectively, the “Funds”.

Under the Trust Agreement, the Trustees have authority to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest, par value $.001 per share. The Board of Trustees is authorized to reclassify and issue any unissued shares to any number of additional series without shareholder approval.

Each of the Funds offers multiple share classes. As of April 30, 2021, all of the Funds offered Class A and Institutional Class shares. The classes of shares are offered to different types of investors and have different expense structures, as outlined in the Funds’ prospectus. Each class of shares has exclusive voting rights with respect to matters that affect that class. Income, realized gains and losses, unrealized appreciation and depreciation, and expenses that are not attributable to a specific class are allocated daily to each class based on its relative net assets. Expenses directly attributable to a Fund are charged to that Fund. Other expenses are allocated to the respective Fund based on average daily net assets.

Each Fund has distinct investment objectives. Following are the objectives for the Funds:

Fund Name 

Investment Objective

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

Seeks long-term growth of capital.

Global Equity Impact Fund

Seeks long-term growth of capital.

Total Return Bond Fund

Seeks to provide total return, which is derived from capital appreciation and income.

Global High Income Fund

Seeks to maximize total return, principally through a high level of current income, and secondarily through capital appreciation.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The Trust is an investment company and accordingly follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standard Codification Topic 946 Financial Services-Investment Companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Funds in the preparation of their financial statements. The policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America. The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of income and expenses for the period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The books and records of the Funds are maintained in U.S. Dollars.

a.Security Valuation

The Funds value their securities at current market value or fair value, consistent with regulatory requirements. “Fair value” is defined in the Funds’ Valuation and Liquidity Procedures as the price that could be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between willing market participants without a compulsion to transact at the measurement date.

In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosures under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, the Funds disclose the fair value of their investments using a three-level hierarchy that classifies the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure the fair value. The hierarchy assigns Level 1, the highest level, measurements to valuations based upon unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets, Level 2 measurements to valuations based upon other significant observable inputs, including adjusted quoted prices in active markets for similar assets, and Level 3, the lowest level, measurements to valuations based upon unobservable inputs that are significant to the valuation. Inputs refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk, for example, the risk inherent in a particular valuation technique used to measure fair value including a pricing model and/or the risk inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. Inputs may be observable or unobservable. Observable inputs are inputs that reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, which are based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the respective net asset value (“NAV”) as reported by such company. The prospectuses for the registered open-end management investment companies in which a Fund invests explain the circumstances under which those companies will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing. Closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) are valued at the market price of the security at the Valuation Time. A security using any of these pricing methodologies is determined to be a Level 1 investment.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  39

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Equity securities that are traded on an exchange are valued at the last quoted sale price on the principal exchange on which the security is traded at the “Valuation Time” subject to application, when appropriate, of the valuation factors described in the paragraph below. Under normal circumstances, the Valuation Time is as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In the absence of a sale price, the security is valued at the mean of the bid/ask price quoted at the close on the principal exchange on which the security is traded. Securities traded on NASDAQ are valued at the NASDAQ official closing price.

Foreign equity securities that are traded on foreign exchanges that close prior to the Valuation Time are valued by applying valuation factors to the last sale price or the mean price as noted above. Valuation factors are provided by an independent pricing service provider approved by the Board. These valuation factors are used when pricing a Fund’s portfolio holdings to estimate market movements between the time foreign markets close and the time a Fund values such foreign securities. These valuation factors are based on inputs such as depositary receipts, indices, futures, sector indices/ETFs, exchange rates, and local exchange opening and closing prices of each security. When prices with the application of valuation factors are utilized, the value assigned to the foreign securities may not be the same as quoted or published prices of the securities on their primary markets. A security that applies a valuation factor is determined to be a Level 2 investment because the exchange-traded price has been adjusted. Valuation factors are not utilized if the independent pricing service provider is unable to provide a valuation factor or if the valuation factor falls below a predetermined threshold; in such case, the security is determined to be a Level 1 investment.

Long-term debt and other fixed income securities are valued at the last quoted or evaluated bid price on the valuation date provided by an independent pricing service provider approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”). If there are no current day bids, the security is valued at the previously applied bid. Pricing services generally price debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, and the strategies employed by Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. (formerly, Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.)(“Aberdeen,” the “Adviser” or “ASII”) generally trade in round lot sizes. In certain circumstances, fixed income securities may be held or transactions may be conducted in smaller, “odd lot” sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower or occasionally higher prices than institutional round lot trades. Short-term debt securities (such as commercial paper and U.S. treasury bills) having a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at the last quoted or evaluated bid price on the valuation date provided by an independent pricing service, or on the basis of amortized cost if it represents the best approximation for fair value. Debt and other fixed-income securities are generally determined to be Level 2 investments.

Short-term investments are comprised of cash and cash equivalents invested in short-term investment funds which are redeemable daily. The Funds sweep available cash into the State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, a “government money market fund” pursuant to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, which has an objective to maintain a $1.00 NAV, which is not guaranteed. Registered investment companies are valued at their net asset value as reported by such company. Generally, these investment types are categorized as Level 1 investments.

Derivative instruments are generally valued according to the following procedures. Exchange traded derivatives are generally Level 1 investments and over-the-counter derivatives are generally Level 2 investments. Forward currency exchange contracts are generally valued based on the current spot exchange rates and the forward exchange rate points (ex. 1-month, 3-month) that are obtained from an approved pricing agent. Based on the actual settlement dates of the forward contracts held, an interpolated value of the forward points is combined with the spot exchange rate to derive the valuation. Futures contracts are generally valued at the most recent settlement price as of NAV determination. Swap agreements are generally valued by an approved pricing agent based on the terms of the swap agreement (including future cash flows). When market quotations or exchange rates are not readily available, or if the Adviser concludes that such market quotations do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of a Fund’s assets are determined in good faith in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.

In the event that a security’s market quotations are not readily available or are deemed unreliable (for reasons other than because the foreign exchange on which it trades closed before the Valuation Time (as defined below)), the security is valued at fair value as determined by the Funds’ Pricing Committee (the “Pricing Committee”), taking into account the relevant factors and surrounding circumstances using Valuation and Liquidity Procedures approved by the Board. Under normal circumstances, the Valuation Time is as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). A security that has been fair valued by the Pricing Committee may be classified as Level 2 or Level 3 depending on the nature of the inputs.

The three-level hierarchy of inputs is summarized below:

   •Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical investments;
   •Level 2 - other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, and credit risk); or
   •Level 3 - significant unobservable inputs (including a Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).

40  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

A summary of standard inputs is listed below:

Security Type  

Standard Inputs

Debt and other fixed-income securities

Reported trade data, broker-dealer price quotations, benchmark yields, issuer spreads on comparable securities, credit quality, yield, and maturity.

Foreign equities utilizing a fair value factor

Depositary receipts, indices, futures, sector indices/ETFs, exchange rates, and local exchange opening and closing prices of each security.

Forward foreign currency contracts

Forward exchange rate quotations.

Swap agreements

Market information pertaining to the underlying reference assets, i.e., credit spreads, credit event probabilities, fair values, forward rates, and volatility measures.

The following is a summary of the inputs used as of April 30, 2021 in valuing the Funds’ investments and other financial instruments at fair value. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

Please refer to the Statements of Investments for a detailed breakout of the security types:

 

LEVEL 1 - Quoted
Prices ($)

LEVEL 2 - Other
Significant Observable
Inputs ($)

LEVEL 3 - Significant
Unobservable
Inputs ($)

 

Total ($)

 

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

Investments in Securities 

Common Stocks

21,609,542

124,977,645

2

146,587,189

Short-Term Investment

1,476,888

1,476,888

 

23,086,430

124,977,645

2

148,064,077

Investments, at Value

 

Level 1

 

Level 2

 

Level 3

 

Total

 

Global Equity Impact Fund

Investments in Securities 

Common Stocks

36,236,032

39,610,042

75,846,074

Short-Term Investment

1,214,865

1,214,865

 

37,450,897

39,610,042

77,060,939

Investments, at Value

 

Level 1

 

Level 2

 

Level 3

 

Total

 

Total Return Bond Fund

Investments in Securities 

Asset-Backed Securities

21,538,333

21,538,333

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities

25,279,832

25,279,832

Non-Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities

6,659,528

6,659,528

Corporate Bonds

52,415,078

52,415,078

Municipal Bonds

11,654,763

11,654,763

Government Bonds

5,272,887

5,272,887

U.S. Agencies

28,939,653

28,939,653

U.S. Treasuries

31,407,838

31,407,838

Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities

1,384,964

1,384,964

Short-Term Investment

19,358,478

19,358,478

Other Financial Instruments

Assets

Futures Contracts

2,953

2,953

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

180,090

180,090

2021 Semi-Annual Report  41

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Investments, at Value

 

Level 1

 

Level 2

 

Level 3

 

Total

 

Liabilities 

Futures Contracts

(197,422

)

(197,422

)

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

(344,759

)

(344,759

)

 

19,164,009

184,388,207

203,552,216

Investments, at Value

 

Level 1

 

Level 2

 

Level 3

 

Total

 

Global High Income Fund

Investments in Securities

Corporate Bonds

142,829,680

451,525

143,281,205

Bank Loans

316,658

316,658

Exchange-Traded Funds

6,558,000

6,558,000

Short-Term Investment

3,869,332

3,869,332

Other Financial Instruments

Assets

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

9,710

9,710

Liabilities

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

(189,889

)

(189,889

)

 

10,427,332

142,966,159

451,525

153,845,016

Level 3 investments held on Global High Income Fund, at the beginning, during and at the end of the fiscal year end in relation to net assets were not significant (0.29% of total net assets) and accordingly, a reconciliation of Level 3 assets for the six-month period ended April 30, 2021 is not presented. The valuation technique used at April 30, 2021 was a single unadjusted broker quote. The inputs utilized by the broker to value the investment were not available.

b.Restricted Securities

Restricted securities are privately-placed securities whose resale is restricted under U.S. securities laws. The Funds may invest in restricted securities, including unregistered securities eligible for resale without registration pursuant to Rule 144A and privately-placed securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers offered outside the U.S. without registration pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Rule 144A securities may be freely traded among certain qualified institutional investors, such as the Funds, but resale of such securities in the U.S. is permitted only in limited circumstances.

c.Foreign Currency Translation

Foreign securities, currencies, and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. Dollars at the exchange rate of said currencies against the U.S. Dollar, as of the Valuation Time, as provided by an independent pricing service. Purchases and sales of securities, and income and expenses are translated at the prevailing rate of exchange on the respective date of these transactions. The Funds do not isolate that portion of the results of operations resulting from changes in foreign exchange rates on investments from fluctuations arising from changes in market prices of securities held. These fluctuations are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss from investments within the Statements of Operations.

Investments in emerging markets can be riskier and more volatile than investments in the United States and other developed markets. Adverse political and economic developments can make it more difficult for the Select International Equity Fund and Global Equity Impact Fund to sell foreign securities which could reduce the NAV of the Funds. In contrast to more established markets, emerging markets may have governments that are less stable and markets that are less liquid, increasing your investment risk.

d.Derivative Financial Instruments

Certain Funds are authorized to use derivatives to manage currency risk, credit risk, and interest rate risk and to replicate, or use as a substitute for, physical securities. Losses may arise due to changes in the value of the contract or if the counterparty does not perform under the contract. The use of derivative instruments involves, to varying degrees, elements of market risk in excess of the amount recognized in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities.

42  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

A forward foreign currency exchange contract (“forward contract”) involves an obligation to purchase and sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts are used to manage a Fund’s currency exposure in an efficient manner. They are used to sell unwanted currency exposure that comes with holding securities in a market, or to buy currency exposure where the exposure from holding securities is insufficient to give the desired currency exposure either in absolute terms or relative to a particular benchmark or index. The use of forward contracts allows for the separation of investment decision-making between foreign exchange holdings and their currencies. The forward contract is marked-to-market daily and the change in market value is recorded by a Fund as unrealized appreciation/(depreciation). Forward contracts’ prices are received daily from an independent pricing provider. When the forward contract is closed, a Fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed. These realized and unrealized gains and losses are reported on the Statements of Operations. During the six-month period ended April 30, 2021, the Funds used forward contracts to hedge some of the Funds’ foreign currency holdings. Managing active currency risk involves both hedging currency risk and adding currency risk in excess of underlying bond positions. A Fund may also enter into forward contracts to obtain potential appreciation of a foreign currency, which also adds currency risk.

Futures Contracts

Certain Funds may invest in financial futures contracts (“futures contracts”) for the purpose of hedging their existing portfolio securities, or securities that a Fund intends to purchase, against fluctuations in value caused by changes in prevailing market interest rates or prices. Futures contracts may also be entered into for non-hedging purposes; however, in those instances, the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish a Fund’s positions may not exceed 5% of a Fund’s NAV after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such contract into which it has entered.

Upon entering into a futures contract, a Fund is required to pledge to the broker an amount of cash and/or other assets equal to a certain percentage of the contract amount. This payment is known as “initial margin”. Subsequent payments, known as “variation margin,” are calculated each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the fair value/market value of the underlying assets. An unrealized gain/(loss) equal to the variation margin is recognized on a daily basis. When the contract expires or is closed, the gain/(loss) is realized and is presented in the Statements of Operations as a net realized gain/(loss) on futures contracts. Futures contracts are valued daily at their last quoted sale price on the exchange on which they are traded.

A “sale” of a futures contract means a contractual obligation to deliver the securities or foreign currency called for by the contract at a fixed price at a specified time in the future. A “purchase” of a futures contract means a contractual obligation to acquire the securities or foreign currency at a fixed price at a specified time in the future.

Should market conditions change unexpectedly, a Fund may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the futures contracts and may realize a loss. The use of futures transactions for hedging purposes involves the risk of imperfect correlation in movements in the price of futures contracts, interest rates and the value/market value of the underlying hedged assets. During the six-month period ended April 30, 2021, U.S. Treasury futures contracts were used to manage Total Return Bond Fund’s overall curve and interest rate exposure.

Options

Options are instruments that provide a right to buy (call) or sell (put) a particular security or an index of securities at a fixed price within a certain time period. Options differ from forward and futures contracts in that the buyer of the option has no obligation to perform under the contract. An option is out-of-the money if the exercise price of the option is above, in the case of a call option, or below, in the case of a put option, the current price (or interest rate or yield for certain options) of the referenced security or instrument. Use of put and call options may result in losses to a Fund, force the sale or purchase of portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices higher than (in the case of put options) or lower than (in the case of call options) current market values, limit the amount of appreciation a Fund can realize on its investments or cause a Fund to hold a security it might otherwise sell. The Funds did not hold options as of April 30, 2021.

Swaps

The Total Return Bond Fund enters into interest rate swaps to manage interest-rate exposure. The Global High Income Fund uses credit default swaps to gain, or hedge, exposure to specific companies. A swap is an agreement that obligates two parties to exchange a series of cash flows and/or meet certain obligations at specified intervals based upon or calculated by reference to changes in specified prices or rates (interest rates in the case of interest rate swaps, currency exchange rates in the case of currency swaps) or the occurrence of a credit event with respect to an underlying reference obligation (in the case of a credit default swap) for a specified amount of an underlying asset or notional principal amount. A Fund will enter into swaps only on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with a Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the amount of the difference between the two payments. Except for currency swaps and credit default swaps, the notional principal amount is used solely to calculate the payment streams but is not exchanged. With respect to currency swaps, actual principal amounts of currencies may be exchanged by the counterparties at the initiation, and again upon the termination of the transaction.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  43

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Traditionally, swaps were customized, privately negotiated agreements executed between two parties (“OTC Swaps”) but since 2013, certain swaps are required to be cleared pursuant to rules and regulations related to the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd Frank”) and/or Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 on OTC Derivatives, Central Counterparties and Trade Repositories (“EMIR”) (“Cleared Swaps”). Like OTC Swaps, Cleared Swaps are negotiated bilaterally. Unlike OTC Swaps, the act of clearing results in two swaps executed between each of the parties and a central counterparty (“CCP”), and thus the counterparty credit exposure of the parties is to the CCP rather than to one another. Upon entering into a Cleared Swap, a Fund is required to pledge an amount of cash and/or other assets equal to a certain percentage of the contract amount. This payment is known as “initial margin”. Subsequent payments, known as “variation margin,” are calculated each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the fair value/market value of the underlying assets. An unrealized gain/(loss) equal to the variation margin is recognized on a daily basis. When the contract matures or is terminated, the gain or loss is realized and is presented in the Statements of Operations as a net realized gain or loss on swap contracts. As of March 2017, a Fund may be required to provide variation and/or initial margin for OTC Swaps pursuant to further rules and regulations related to Dodd Frank and EMIR. The margin requirements associated with OTC Swaps and Cleared Swaps may not be the same.

Entering into swap agreements involves, to varying degrees, elements of credit, market and interest rate risk in excess of the amounts reported on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Such risks involve the possibility that there will be no liquid market for these agreements, that the counterparty to the agreements may default on its obligation to perform and that there may be unfavorable changes in the value of the index or securities underlying the agreement. The Funds’ maximum risk of loss from counterparty risk related to swaps is the fair value of the contract. This risk is mitigated by the posting of collateral by the counterparties to the Funds to cover the Funds’ exposure to the counterparty.

Interest Rate Swaps

A Fund uses interest rate swap contracts to manage its exposure to interest rates. Interest rate swap contracts typically represent the exchange between a Fund and a counterparty of respective commitments to make variable rate and fixed rate payments with respect to a notional amount of principal. Interest rate swap contracts may have a term that is greater than one year, but typically require periodic interim settlement in cash, at which time the specified value of the variable interest rate is reset for the next settlement period. Net payments of interest are recorded as realized gains or losses. During the period that the swap contract is open, the contract is marked-to-market as the net amount due to or from a Fund and changes in the value of swap contracts are recorded as unrealized gains or losses.

Credit Default Swaps

A credit default swap is an agreement whereby one party, the buyer, is obligated to pay the other party, the seller, a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract in return for a contingent payment upon the occurrence of a credit event with respect to an underlying reference obligation. A Fund might use credit default swap contracts to limit or to reduce risk exposure of the Fund to defaults of corporate and sovereign issues (i.e., to reduce risk when the Fund owns or has exposure to such issuers). A Fund also might use credit default swap contracts to create direct or synthetic short or long exposure to domestic or foreign corporate debt securities or certain sovereign debt securities to which the Fund is not otherwise exposed.

Summary of Derivative Instruments

Certain Funds may use derivatives for various purposes as noted above. The following is a summary of the location of fair value amounts of derivatives, not accounted for as hedging instruments, as of April 30, 2021:

Location on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Derivative Instrument Risk Type

 

Asset Derivatives

Liability Derivatives

Interest Rate Risk

Variation margin receivable
for futures contracts

Variation margin receivable for centrally cleared
interest rate swap contracts

Variation margin payable for futures contracts

Variation margin payable for centrally cleared interest rate swap contracts

Foreign Exchange Risk

Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

Unrealized depreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

Credit Risk

Variation margin receivable for centrally cleared credit default swap contracts

Variation margin payable for centrally cleared credit default swap contracts

44  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

The following is a summary of the fair value of derivative instruments, not accounted for as hedging instruments, as of April 30, 2021:

Total Return Bond Fund

Asset Derivatives

 

Liability Derivatives

Derivatives not accounted for as hedging instruments and
risk exposure

Statement of Assets and
Liabilities Location

Fair Value

 

Statement of Assets and
Liabilities Location

Fair Value

 

Forward foreign currency
exchange contracts
(foreign exchange risk)

Unrealized appreciation
on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

$180,090

Unrealized depreciation
on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

$344,759

Futures contracts
(interest rate risk)

Variation margin
receivable for
futures contracts

$2,953

Variation margin
payable for
futures contracts

$197,422

Total

$183,043

$542,181

* The values shown reflect unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) and the values shown in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities reflects variation margin.

Global High Income Fund

Asset Derivatives

 

Liability Derivatives

 

Derivatives not accounted for
as hedging instruments and
risk exposure

Statement of Assets and
Liabilities Location

Fair Value

 

Statement of Assets and
Liabilities Location

Fair Value

 

Forward foreign currency
exchange contracts
(foreign exchange risk)

Unrealized appreciation
on forward foreign
currency exchange
contracts

$8,434

Unrealized depreciation
on forward foreign
currency exchange
contracts

$188,613

Total

$8,434

$188,613

A reconciliation of the gross amounts on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities as of April 30, 2021 to the net amounts by broker and derivative type, including any collateral received or pledged, is included in the following tables:

Gross Amounts Not Offset
in Statement of
Assets & Liabilities

Gross Amounts Not Offset
in Statement of
Assets and Liabilities

 

Gross Amounts
of Assets
Presented in
Statement of

Financial Position

Financial
Instruments

Collateral
Received
(1)

Net
Amount
(3)

Gross Amounts
of Liabilities
Presented in
Statement of

Financial Position

Financial
Instruments

Collateral
Pledged
(1)

Net
Amount
(3)

Description

Assets

 

Liabilities

 

Total Return Bond Fund

Forward foreign currency(2)

Barclays Bank plc

$

15,523

$

(15,523)

$

$

$

76,835

$

(15,523)

$

$

61,312

Citibank N.A.

111,197

(23,858)

87,339

23,858

(23,858)

Goldman Sachs & Co.

19,302

19,302

HSBC Bank USA

22,119

(22,119)

201,627

(22,119)

179,508

Royal Bank of Canada

11,949

(11,949)

42,439

(11,949)

30,490

1.In some instances, the actual collateral received and/or pledged may be more than the amount shown here due to overcollateralization.

2.Includes financial instrument which are not subject to a master netting arrangement across funds, or another similar arrangement.

3.Net amounts represent the net receivables/(payable) that would be due from/to the counterparty in the event of default. Exposure from financial derivative instruments can only be netted across transactions governed under the same master netting agreement with the same legal entity.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  45

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Gross Amounts Not Offset
in Statement of
Assets & Liabilities

Gross Amounts Not Offset
in Statement of
Assets and Liabilities

Gross Amounts
of Assets
Presented in
Statement of

Financial Position

Financial
Instruments

Collateral
Received
(1)

Net
Amount
(3)

Gross Amounts
of Liabilities
Presented in
Statement of

Financial Position

Financial
Instruments

Collateral
Pledge
(1)

Net
Amount
(3)

Description

Assets

 

Liabilities

 

Global High Income Fund

Forward foreign currency(2)

Citibank N.A.

$

$

$

$

$

188,613

$

$

$

188,613

Royal Bank of Canada (UK)

8,434

8,434

1.In some instances, the actual collateral received and/or pledged may be more than the amount shown here due to overcollateralization.

2.Includes financial instrument which are not subject to a master netting arrangement across funds, or another similar arrangement.

3.Net amounts represent the net receivables/(payable) that would be due from/to the counterparty in the event of default. Exposure from financial derivative instruments can only be netted across transactions governed under the same master netting agreement with the same legal entity.

The effect of derivative instruments on the Statement of Operations for the six-month period ended April 30, 2021:

 

 

Location of
Gain or (Loss)
on Derivatives

 

Realized Gain or (Loss) on
Derivatives

 

Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation) on Derivatives

 

Realized/Unrealized Gain/(Loss) from
Investments, Futures Contracts and Foreign Currency Transactions

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts
(foreign exchange risk)

$(149,142)

$(149,447)

Futures contracts
(interest rate risk)

(693,990)

(214,030)

Total

$(843,132)

$(363,477)

 

 

Location of
Gain or (Loss)
on Derivatives

 

Realized Gain or (Loss) on
Derivatives

 

Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation) on Derivatives

Realized/Unrealized Gain/(Loss) from
Investments, Futures Contracts and Foreign Currency Transactions

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts
(foreign exchange risk)

$(698,450)

$(323,658)

Total

$(698,450)

$(323,658)

Information about derivatives reflected as of the date of this report is generally indicative of the type of activity for the six-month period ended April 30, 2021. The table below summarizes the weighted average values of derivatives holdings by the Funds during the six-month period ended April 30, 2021.

46  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Fund

 

Purchase Forward Foreign Currency Contracts (Average Notional Value)

 

Sale Forward Foreign Currency Contracts (Average Notional Value)

 

Long Futures Contracts (Average Notional Value)

 

Short Futures Contracts (Average Notional Value)

 

Total Return Bond Fund

$22,084,649

$24,330,696

$20,001,826

$3,563,569

Global High Income Fund

9,858,300

38,606,077

The Funds value derivatives at fair value, as described in the Statement of Operations. Accordingly, the Funds do not follow hedge accounting even for derivatives employed as economic hedges.

e.Bank Loans

Global High Income Fund may invest in bank loans. Bank loans include floating and fixed-rate debt obligations. Floating rate loans are debt obligations issued by companies or other entities with floating interest rates that reset periodically. Bank loans may include, but are not limited to, term loans, delayed funding loans, bridge loans and revolving credit facilities. Loan interest will primarily take the form of assignments purchased in the primary or secondary market but may include participants. Floating rate loans are secured by specific collateral of the borrower and are senior to most other securities of the borrower (e.g., common stock or debt instruments) in the event of bankruptcy. Floating rate loans are often issued in connection with recapitalizations, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and refinancings. Floating rate loans are typically structured and administered by a financial institution that acts as the agent of the lenders participating in the floating rate loan. Floating rate loans may be acquired directly through the agent, as an assignment from another lender who holds a direct interest in the floating rate loan, or as a participation interest in another lender’s portion of the floating rate loan.

Global High Income Fund may enter into, or acquire participation in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are borrowings in which the Global High Income Fund agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrowing issuer for a specified term. A revolving credit facility differs from a delayed funding loan in that as the borrowing issuer repays the loan, an amount equal to the repayment is again made available to the borrowing issuer under the facility. The borrowing issuer may at any time borrow and repay amounts so long as, in the aggregate, at any given time the amount borrowed does not exceed the maximum amount established by the loan agreement. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities usually provide for floating or variable rates of interest.

There are a number of risks associated with an investment in bank loans including credit risk, interest rate risk, illiquid securities risk, and prepayment risk. There is also the possibility that the collateral securing a loan, if any, may be difficult to liquidate or be insufficient to cover the amount owed under the loan. These risks could cause a Fund to lose income or principal on a particular investment, which in turn could affect the return. In addition, bank loans may settle on a delayed basis, resulting in the proceeds from the sale of such loans not being readily available to make additional investments or to meet a Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, a Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks or other lenders.

f.Security Transactions, Investment Income and Expenses

Security transactions are recorded on the trade date. Realized and unrealized gains/(losses) from security and currency transactions are calculated on the identified cost basis. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date except for certain dividends on foreign securities, which are recorded as soon as a Fund is informed after the ex-dividend date. Interest income is recorded on an accrual basis using the effective interest method. Expenses are recorded on an accrual basis. Expenses directly attributable to a Fund are charged to that Fund. Expenses not directly attributable to a Fund are allocated proportionately among all Funds of the Trust. For each of the Funds, the method for allocating income, fund level expenses, and realized and unrealized gains or losses among classes is based on the total net asset value of each class’s shares in proportion to the total net assets of the relevant Fund. Expenses specific to a class (such as Rule 12b-1 and Transfer Agent fees) are charged to that class.

g.Foreign Taxes

Dividend and interest income from non-U.S. sources received by the Fund are generally subject to non-U.S. withholding taxes and are recorded on the Statement of Operations. The Fund files for tax reclaims for the refund of such withholding taxes according to tax treaties. Tax reclaims that are deemed collectible are booked as tax reclaim receivable on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. In addition, the Fund may be subject to capital gains tax in certain countries in which it invests. These withholding taxes may be reduced or eliminated under the terms of applicable U.S. income tax treaties with some of these countries. The Fund accrues such taxes when the related income is earned. In addition, when the Fund sells securities within certain countries in which it invests, the capital gains realized may be subject to tax. Based on these market requirements and as required under GAAP, the Fund accrues deferred capital gains tax on securities

2021 Semi-Annual Report  47

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

currently held that have unrealized appreciation within these countries. The amount of deferred capital gains tax accrued is reported on the Statement of Operations as part of the Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation/Depreciation on Investments.

The International Sustainable Leaders Fund and Global Equity Impact Fund (collectively, the “Equity Funds”) have received payments for Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims related to prior years (2005-2015). The Article 63 EU Tax Reclaim payments received by the Equity Funds from certain EU countries as of the date of this report significantly increased the International Sustainable Leaders Fund’s performance on various dates when the payments were received beginning on December 16, 2016 and the Global Equity Impact Fund’s performance on various dates when the payments were received beginning February 1, 2017. Without these payments, each Equity Fund’s performance would have been lower during this period. In the tax years for which the Equity Funds filed Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims, certain shareholders were able to reduce their federal income taxes based upon the amount of taxes that these Funds paid to foreign jurisdictions. The receipt by the Equity Funds of the tax reclaims from these jurisdictions will also result in tax liability to the relevant Fund to offset the tax benefits that shareholders received in the past, the precise amount of the tax is uncertain and subject to settlement negotiations with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“U.S. IRS”). Based on information available as of the date of this report, each Equity Fund has accrued an amount of the estimated tax liability payable to the U.S. IRS on behalf of its shareholders which is booked as an expense on the Statement of Operations. The stated net asset value and performance contained in this report reflect these accrued amounts. The Funds expect that the U.S. IRS, ultimately will determine the actual tax payable. If the actual tax payable is greater than the amount currently accrued, and subject to the level of assets under management at the time of any subsequent adjustments, the relevant Equity Fund’s expenses, net asset value and performance may be materially adversely affected. The precise amount of the tax remains uncertain as the matter remains unsettled with the U.S. IRS.

The Equity Funds have Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims outstanding related to prior years (2005-2015). Consistent with U.S. GAAP accrual requirements, the Equity Funds have recognized the Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims when uncertainty relating to these claims, including but not limited to resolution of administrative and judicial proceedings, likelihood of receipt and the timing of receipt of cash payments, have been resolved. The Equity Funds have not recorded a receivable amount for any outstanding Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims because there is limited historical precedent for U.S. funds collecting reclaims of this magnitude and the total amount of the reclaims that these funds may receive in the future is uncertain. Any additional amounts to which the Equity Funds may be entitled, if and when recorded, likely would result in an increase in the net asset value per share of each fund at that time. In addition, Article 63 EU Tax Reclaims amounts received will be subject to tax. The U.S. IRS has not yet determined the amount of taxes that the Equity Funds must pay on these amounts. For tax accounting purposes, interest payments received on these payments (if any) are treated as income and will be distributed in due course. As of April 30, 2021, the total amount of outstanding reclaims filed by the Equity Funds in the countries that may be affected by the European courts’ decisions (namely, The Netherlands, Spain, Germany, France, and Sweden) represents approximately 8.0% and 9.6%, respectively, of net assets of International Sustainable Leaders Fund and Global Equity Impact Fund before the impact of interest or any tax or additional costs incurred in the pursuit of such reclaims. These amounts net of estimated taxes (but excluding the impact of interest or tax on such interest) represent 4.6% and 5.5%, respectively, of net assets of International Sustainable Leaders Fund and Global Equity Impact Fund. These percentages will change depending on the fluctuations of the net assets of the Funds. Receipt by a Fund of these amounts will make the Fund’s performance seem higher than it would be as a result of the performance of its portfolio investments.

There were no payments received on tax reclaims for the six-month period ended April 30, 2021. The payments received on tax reclaims from prior periods were as follows:

 

 

Amount

Percent of Total Net Assets

Received
Date Range

 

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

Withholding Tax Refunds Received from Country:

Finland

$1,355,000

0.35%*

5/21/2015

Poland

16,452,314

7.74%**

12/16/16-2/24/2017

Poland

5,504,000

3.68%****

12/12/2018-9/4/2019

Global Equity Impact Fund

Withholding Tax Refunds Received from Country:

Finland

$500,000

0.25%*

5/21/2015

Poland

4,400,193

4.68%**

2/1/2017-2/24/2017

Poland

380,000

0.59%***

8/22/2018

Poland

1,011,000

1.62%****

2/12/2019-9/4/2019

*As of October 31, 2015

**As of October 31, 2017

***As of October 31, 2018

****As of October 31, 2019

48  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

h.Distributions

Distributions from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid monthly for the Total Return Bond Fund and Global High Income Fund. Distributions from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually for the Select International Equity Fund and Global Equity Impact Fund. The Funds will also declare and pay distributions annually from net realized gains on investment transactions and net realized foreign exchange gains, if any. Dividends and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Additional distributions of net investment income and capital gains may be made at the discretion of the Board to avoid the application of the excise tax imposed under Section 4982 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for certain undistributed amounts.

Dividends and distributions to shareholders are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP. These differences are primarily due to differing treatments of income and gains on various investment securities held by the Funds, timing differences and differing characterization of distributions made by the Funds as a whole.

i.Federal Income Taxes

Each Fund intends to continue to qualify as a “regulated investment company” by complying with the provisions available to certain investment companies, as defined in Subchapter M of the Code, and to make distributions of net investment income and net realized capital gains sufficient to relieve the Funds from all federal income taxes. Therefore, no federal income tax provision is required.

The Fund recognizes the tax benefits of uncertain tax positions only where the position is “more likely than not” to be sustained assuming examination by tax authorities. Management of the Funds has concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions that would require recognition in the financial statements. Since tax authorities can examine previously filed tax returns, the Funds’ U.S. federal and state tax returns for each of the most recent four fiscal years up to the most recent fiscal year ended October 31, 2020 are subject to such review.

j.Newly Adopted Accounting Pronouncement

The Funds have adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Update 2017-08. Under the new standard, certain debt securities with non-contingent call features purchased at a premium are amortized to the earliest call date. In accordance with the transition provisions of the standard, the Funds applied the new standard on a modified retrospective basis beginning with the fiscal period ended October 31, 2020. This change in accounting policy resulted in reclassifications to capital accounts as of the beginning of the period, but had no impact on the net asset value of the Funds.

3. Agreements and Transactions with Affiliates

a.Investment Adviser

Under the Investment Advisory Agreements with the Funds, effective May 22, 2013 and amended February 29, 2019, the Adviser manages the Funds in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Board.

For services provided under the terms of the current Investment Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays the Adviser an annual management fee (as a percentage of its average daily net assets) paid monthly according to the following schedule:

Fund

Fee Schedule

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

Of the first $500 million

0.800%

 

On the next $1.5 billion

0.780%

 

Over $2 billion

0.750%

Global Equity Impact Fund

Of the first $500 million

0.800%

 

On the next $1.5 billion

0.780%

 

Over $2 billion

0.750%

Total Return Bond Fund

On all assets

0.350%

Global High Income Fund

Of the first $5 billion

0.650%

 

On the next $2.5 billion

0.630%

 

On the next $2.5 billion

0.600%

 

Over $10 billion

0.590%

The Adviser has engaged the services of an affiliate, Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited, as subadviser on behalf of the Equity Funds (the “Subadviser”), pursuant to the subadvisory agreements. The Subadviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Equity Funds’ investments. Pursuant to the subadvisory agreements, the Adviser pays fees to the Subadviser.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  49

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

The Trust and the Adviser have entered into written contracts (“Expense Limitation Agreements”) limiting operating expenses for all classes of each Fund from exceeding the amounts listed in the table below. For each Fund noted below, this contractual limitation may not be terminated without the approval of the Board until the earlier of (a) the termination of the Investment Advisory Agreement or (b) the end of February, 2022 for each Fund. This limit excludes certain expenses, including taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, and other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with GAAP, and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of each Fund’s business.

Fund

Class A Limit

Institutional
Class Limit

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

1.35%

1.10%

Global Equity Impact Fund

1.35%

1.10%

Total Return Bond Fund

0.69%

0.44%

Global High Income Fund

1.00%

0.75%

The Adviser has agreed to continue to waive a portion of its management fee for each of the Funds at the annual rate of 0.005% of the respective Funds’ average daily assets. The waiver may be terminated at any time by the Board.

The Adviser may request and receive reimbursement from a Fund of the advisory fees waived and other expenses reimbursed pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreements at a later date not to exceed three years from the fiscal year in which the corresponding reimbursement to the Funds was made.

However, no reimbursement will be made for fees waived unless:

(i) the total annual expense ratio of the class making such reimbursement is less than the limit set forth above; and

(ii) the payment of such reimbursement is approved by the Board on a quarterly basis (the “Reimbursement Requirements”).

If the Board approves any changes in the waiver terms or limitations, reimbursements are only permitted to the extent that the terms of the Expense Limitation Agreements in effect at the time of the waiver are met at the time that reimbursement is approved. Except as provided for in the Expense Limitation Agreements, reimbursement of amounts previously waived or assumed by the Adviser is not permitted.

As of April 30, 2021, to the extent the Reimbursement Requirements are met, the cumulative potential reimbursements for each Fund, based on expenses reimbursed by the Adviser would be:

Fund

Amount
Fiscal Year
2018
(Expires
10/31/21)

Amount
Fiscal Year
2019
(Expires
10/31/22)

Amount
Fiscal Year
2020
(Expires
10/31/23)

Amount
Six Months
Ended
April 30, 2021 (Expires 4/30/24)




Total
*

 

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

$

$92,601

$391,729

$167,217

$651,547

Global Equity Impact Fund

153,956

288,816

139,614

582,386

Total Return Bond Fund

499,844

462,934

566,257

268,786

1,797,821

Global High Income Fund

591,864

688,255

698,958

349,832

2,328,909

*Amounts reported are due to expire throughout the respective 3-year expiration period presented above.

Amounts listed as “–” are $0 or round to $0.

4. Distributor and Shareholder Services

The Trust and Aberdeen Fund Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”) are parties to the current Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the Funds’ shares.

The Trust has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act with respect to certain classes of shares. The Plan permits the Funds to compensate the Distributor, for expenses associated with the distribution-related and/or shareholder services provided by such entities. These fees are paid to the Distributor and are either kept or paid to shareholders’ financial advisors or other intermediaries for distribution and shareholder services. Although actual distribution expenses may be more or less, under the Plan, the Funds pay the Distributor an annual fee of 0.25% based on the total net assets for Class A shares.

50  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Under its terms, the Plan shall remain in effect from year to year, provided such continuance is approved annually by a vote of a majority of the Board members and a majority of those Board members who are not “interested persons” of the Funds and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or in any agreement related to the Plan.

The Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser may pay additional amounts from its own resources to dealers or other financial intermediaries, for aid in distribution or for aid in providing administrative services to shareholders.

5. Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of securities (excluding short-term securities) for the six-month period ended April 30, 2021, were as follows:

Fund

Purchases

Sales

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

$136,572,104

$146,262,944

Global Equity Impact Fund

4,207,722

6,297,012

Total Return Bond Fund

168,180,605

188,994,910

Global High Income Fund

94,391,433

96,553,600

6. Portfolio Investment Risks

a.Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Like traditional fixed income securities, the value of asset-backed securities typically increases when interest rates fall and decreases when interest rates rise. Certain asset-backed securities may also be subject to the risk of prepayment.

b.Bank Loan Risk

There are a number of risks associated with an investment in bank loans including credit risk, interest rate risk, illiquid securities risk, and prepayment risk. There is also the possibility that the collateral securing a loan, if any, may be difficult to liquidate or be insufficient to cover the amount owed under the loan. Bank loans have significantly longer settlement periods (e.g., longer than seven days) than more traditional investments resulting in the proceeds from the sale of such loans not being readily available to make additional investments or to meet a Fund’s redemption obligations.  In addition, loans are not registered under the federal securities laws like stocks and bonds, so investors in loans have less protection against improper practices than investors in registered securities. These risks could cause a Fund to lose income or principal on a particular investment, which in turn could affect a Fund’s returns.

c.Country/Regional Focus Risk

Significant exposure to a single country or geographical region involves increased currency, political, regulatory and other risks. Market swings in the targeted country or geographical region likely will have a greater effect on portfolio performance than they would in a more geographically diversified fund.

d.Credit Default Swap Risk

Credit default swap contracts, a type of derivative instrument, involve special risks and may result in losses to the Global High Income Fund. Credit default swap contracts may in some cases be illiquid, and they increase credit risk since the Fund has exposure to both the issuer of the referenced obligation and the counterparty to the credit default swap contracts. Swaps may be difficult to unwind or terminate. The swap market could be disrupted or limited as a result of recent legislation, and these changes could adversely affect the Fund. Additionally, to the extent the Fund sells credit default swap contracts, the Fund effectively adds economic leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund is subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap in the event of a default of the referenced debt obligation.

e.Cybersecurity Risk

Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Adviser and/or their service providers (including, but not limited to, Fund accountants, custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or lose operational functionality.

f. Derivatives Risk (Including Options, Futures and Swaps)

Derivatives are speculative and may hurt a Fund’s performance. The potential benefits to be derived from the Fund’s options, futures and derivatives strategy are dependent upon the portfolio managers’ ability to discern pricing inefficiencies and predict trends in markets, which decisions could prove to be inaccurate.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  51

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

Hedged Exposure Risk – Losses generated by a derivative or practice used by a Fund for hedging purposes should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment depending on the degree of correlation between the hedging instrument and the assets hedged. However, while hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains.

Correlation Risk – A Fund is exposed to the risk that changes in the value of a hedging instrument will not match those of the investment being hedged.

Counterparty Risk – Derivative transactions depend on the creditworthiness of the counterparty and the counterparty’s ability to fulfill its contractual obligations.

Speculative Exposure Risk – To the extent that a derivative or practice is not used as a hedge, a Fund is directly exposed to its risks. Gains or losses from speculative positions in a derivative may be much greater than the derivative’s original cost. For example, potential losses from writing uncovered call options and from speculative short sales are unlimited.

g.Emerging Markets Risk

The Funds are subject to Emerging Markets Risk. This is a magnification of the risks that apply to foreign investments. These risks are greater for securities of companies in emerging market countries because the countries may have less stable governments, more volatile currencies and less established markets (see “Foreign Securities Risk” below).

h.Equity Securities Risk

The stock or other security of a company may not perform as well as expected, and may decrease in value, because of factors related to the company (such as poorer than expected earnings or certain management decisions) or to the industry in which the company is engaged (such as a reduction in the demand for products or services in a particular industry).

i.Fixed Income Securities Risk

Fixed income securities are subject to, among other risks, credit risk, extension risk, issuer risk, interest rate risk, market risk and prepayment risk.

j.Foreign Currency Exposure Risk

The value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. Dollar fluctuates in response to market, economic, political, regulatory, geopolitical or other conditions. A decline in the value of a foreign currency versus the U.S. Dollar reduces the value in U.S. Dollars of investments denominated in that foreign currency. This risk may impact a Fund more greatly to the extent the Fund does not hedge its currency risk, or hedging techniques used by the Adviser are unsuccessful.

k.Foreign Securities Risk

Foreign countries in which the Fund may invest may have markets that are less liquid, less regulated and more volatile than U.S. markets. The value of the Fund’s investments may decline because of factors such as unfavorable or unsuccessful government actions, reduction of government or central bank support and political or financial instability. To the extent a Fund focuses its investments in a single country or only a few countries in a particular geographic region, economic, political, regulatory or other conditions affecting such country or region may have a greater impact on Fund performance relative to a more geographically diversified fund.

l.High-Yield Bonds and Other Lower-Rated Securities Risk

A Fund’s investments in high-yield bonds (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) and other lower-rated securities will subject the Fund to substantial risk of loss. Investments in high-yield bonds are speculative and issuers of these securities are generally considered to be less financially secure and less able to repay interest and principal than issuers of investment-grade securities. Prices of high-yield bonds tend to be very volatile. These securities are less liquid than investment-grade debt securities and may be difficult to price or sell, particularly in times of negative sentiment toward high-yield securities.

m.Illiquid Securities Risk

Illiquid securities are assets which may not be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the price at which a Fund has valued the investment on its books and may include such securities as those not registered under U.S. securities laws or securities that cannot be sold in public transactions. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect a Fund’s value or prevent the Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Over recent years, the capacity of dealers to make markets in fixed income securities has been outpaced by the growth in the size of the fixed income markets. Liquidity risk may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or when investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal, due to the increased supply in the market that would result from selling activity.

52  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

The Adviser employs procedures and tests using third-party and internal data inputs that seek to assess and manage the liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. These procedures and tests take into account the Fund’s investment strategy and liquidity of portfolio investments during both normal and foreseeable stressed conditions, cash-flow projections during both normal and reasonable foreseeable stressed conditions, relevant market, trading and other factors, and monitor whether liquidity should be adjusted based on changed market conditions. These procedures and tests are designed to assist the Fund in determining its ability to meet redemption requests in various market conditions. In light of the dynamic nature of markets, there can be no assurance that these procedures and tests will enable the Fund to ensure that it has sufficient liquidity to meet redemption requests.

n.Impact Investing Risk

In implementing the Global Equity Impact Fund’s ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investment strategy, the Adviser may select or exclude securities of issuers in certain industries, sectors, regions or countries for reasons other than the issuer’s investment performance. For this reason, the Fund may underperform other funds that do not implement an ESG strategy. ESG investing is qualitative and subjective by nature. In addition, the Fund may be required to sell a security when it might otherwise be disadvantageous for it to do so. Securities of companies with ESG practices may shift into and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions. The definition of “impact investing” will vary according to an investor’s beliefs and values. There is no guarantee that the Adviser’s definition of impact investing, security selection criteria or investment judgment will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor.

o.Interest Rate Risk

A Fund’s fixed income investments are subject to interest rate risk, which generally causes the value of a fixed income portfolio to decrease when interest rates rise resulting in a decrease in the Fund’s net assets. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the recent period of historically low rates and the effect of potential government fiscal policy initiatives and resulting market reaction to those initiatives. Interest rate fluctuations tend to have a greater impact on fixed income-securities with a greater time to maturity and/or lower coupon. A fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. In periods of market volatility, the market values of fixed income securities may be more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

p.Issuer Risk

The value of a security may decline for reasons directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or service.

q.Large-Cap Securities Risk

Stocks issued by large cap companies subject a Fund to the risk that those stocks may underperform stocks issued by companies with smaller capitalizations or the market as a whole.

r.LIBOR Risk

A Fund may invest in certain debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In March 2021, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which is the LIBOR administrator’s regulator, announced that LIBOR settings will cease to be provided by any administrator or will no longer be representative after specified dates, which will be June 30, 2023, in the case of the principal U.S. dollar LIBOR tenors (overnight and one, three, six and 12 months), and December 31, 2021, in all other cases (i.e., one week and two month U.S. dollar LIBOR and all tenors of non-U.S. dollar LIBOR). Financial regulators and industry working groups have suggested alternative reference rates, such as European Interbank Offered Rate (“EURIBOR”), Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate (“SONIA”) and Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). Although industry working groups have made progress in developing processes for amending existing contracts or instruments to transition away from LIBOR, significant uncertainties remain, particularly for some LIBOR-based obligations. The discontinuation of LIBOR, and the market’s related transition to other reference rates, could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to LIBOR, and the discontinuation of LIBOR may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, any or all of which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance and/or net asset value. These risks may be exacerbated if regulators and market participants do not complete the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to alternative reference rates in a timely manner. In any case, LIBOR-based markets could deteriorate during the transition period, and such deterioration could occur prior to the end of 2021.

s.Management Risk

Each Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser or Sub-adviser may make poor security selections. The Adviser or Sub-adviser and their portfolio managers apply their own investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Funds, and there can be no guarantee that these decisions will achieve the desired results for the Funds. In addition, the Adviser or Sub-adviser may select securities that underperform the relevant market of other funds with similar investment objectives and strategies.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  53

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

t.Market Risk

Markets are affected by numerous factors, including interest rates, the outlook for corporate profits, the health of the national and world economies, the fluctuation of other stock markets around the world, and financial, economic and other global market developments and disruptions, such as those arising from war, terrorism, market manipulation, government interventions, defaults and shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments, public health emergencies and natural/environmental disasters. Such events can negatively impact the securities markets and cause the Fund to lose value.

One such event is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused major disruptions to economies and markets around the world, including the markets in which the Fund invests, and which has and may continue to negatively impact the value of certain of the Fund’s investments . Although vaccines for COVID-19 and variants thereof are becoming more widely available, the COVID-19 pandemic and impacts thereof may continue for an extended period of time and may vary from market to market. To the extent the impacts of COVID-19 continue, the Fund may experience negative impacts to its business that could exacerbate other risks to which the Fund is subject. Policy and legislative changes in countries around the world are affecting many aspects of financial regulation, and governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have previously responded to serious economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes.

In addition, economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not a Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic and financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by such events.

For example, whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in Europe (whether the EU, Eurozone or UK) or with significant exposure to European, EU, Eurozone or UK issuers or countries, the unavoidable uncertainties and events related to the UK’s departure from the EU (“Brexit”) could negatively affect the value and liquidity of a Fund’s investments, increase taxes and costs of business and cause volatility in currency exchange rates and interest rates. Brexit could adversely affect the performance of contracts in existence at the date of Brexit and European, UK or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Brexit could also lead to legal uncertainty and politically divergent national laws and regulations as a new relationship between the UK and EU is defined and as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Any of these effects of Brexit, and others that cannot be anticipated, could adversely affect the Fund’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

The impact of these changes on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time.

u.Mid-Cap Securities Risk

Securities of medium-sized companies tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities of larger companies.

v.Mortgage-Related Securities Risk

The Total Return Bond Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities. Rising interest rates may cause an issuer to exercise its right to pay principal later than expected which tends to extend the duration of mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, a fund that holds mortgage-related securities may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as extension risk. In addition, mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund will have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates.

w.Municipal Securities Risk

Certain Funds may invest in municipal bonds which may be significantly affected by political and economic changes, including inflation, as well as uncertainties in the municipal market related to taxation, legislative changes, or the rights of municipal security holders. Municipal Bonds have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a Municipal Bond can fall when interest rates rise and can rise when interest rates fall. Interest rate risk is generally lower for shorter-term Municipal Bonds and higher for long term Municipal Bonds. Under certain market conditions, the Adviser may purchase Municipal Bonds that the Adviser perceives are undervalued. Undervalued Municipal Bonds are subject to the same market volatility and principal and interest rate risks described above. Lower quality Municipal Bonds involve greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer. The value of lower quality Municipal Bonds often fluctuates in response to political or economic developments and can decline significantly over short periods of time or during periods of general or regional economic difficulty. In the case of tax-exempt Municipal Bonds, if the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities determine that an issuer of a tax-exempt Municipal Bond has not complied with applicable tax requirements, interest from the security could become taxable at the federal, state and/or local level, and the security could decline significantly in value. Municipal Bonds are subject to credit or default risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a municipal security might not make interest and principal payments on the security as they become due.

54  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

x.Portfolio Turnover Risk

The Total Return Bond Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. High portfolio turnover necessarily results in greater transaction costs which may reduce Fund performance. It may also result in greater realization of gains, which may include short-term gains taxable at ordinary income tax rates.

y.Private Placements and Other Restricted Securities Risk

Investments in private placements and other restricted securities, including Regulation S Securities and Rule 144A Securities, could have the effect of increasing a Fund’s level of illiquidity. Private placements and restricted securities may be less liquid than other investments because such securities may not always be readily sold in broad public markets and a Fund might be unable to dispose of such securities promptly or at prices reflecting their true value.

z.Sector Risk:

To the extent that a Fund has a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of companies conducting business in a broadly related group of industries within an economic sector, the Fund may be more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than Funds that invest more broadly. Specifically, to the extent that the Global Equity Impact Fund invests in industrials, the Fund will be more vulnerable to the risks of these industries.

Industrials Sector Risk. To the extent that the industrial sector represents a significant portion of a Fund’s holdings, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may be adversely impacted by issues impacting this sector. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. Companies in the industrials sector, particularly aerospace and defense companies, may also be adversely affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this sector rely to a significant extent on government demand for their products and services.

aa.Small-Cap Securities Risk

Securities of smaller companies are usually less stable in price and less liquid than those of larger, more established companies. Therefore, they generally involve greater risk.

ab.Sovereign Debt Risk

Periods of economic and political uncertainty may result in the illiquidity and increased price volatility of a foreign government’s debt securities held by a Fund and impact an issuer’s ability and willingness to pay interest or repay principal when due. A Fund may have limited recourse to compel payment in the event of a default. A foreign government’s default on its debt securities may cause the value of securities held by a Fund to decline significantly.

Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers. The Global High Income Fund may also invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by supranational entities, such as the World Bank. Supranational entities have no taxing authority and are dependent on their members for payments of interest and principal. If one or more members of a supranational entity fails to make necessary contributions, the entity may be unable to pay interest or repay principal on its debt securities. Political changes in principal donor nations may unexpectedly disrupt the finances of supranational entities.

ac.Valuation Risk

The price that a Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by a Fund, and such Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. A Fund’s ability to value its investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

ad.Variable and Floating Rate Securities Risk

For floating and variable rate obligations, there may be a lag between an actual change in the underlying interest rate benchmark and the reset time for an interest payment of such an obligation, which could harm or benefit a Fund, depending on the interest rate environment or other circumstances.

Please read the prospectus for more detailed information regarding these and other risks.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  55

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

7. Contingencies

In the normal course of business, the Funds may provide general indemnifications pursuant to certain contracts and organizational documents. The Funds’ maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Funds, and therefore, cannot be estimated; however, the Funds expects the risk of loss from such claims to be remote.

8. Tax Information

As of April 30, 2021, the tax cost of securities and the breakdown of unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) for each Fund were as follows:

 

Tax Cost of
Securities

Unrealized
Appreciation

Unrealized
Depreciation

Net
Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

$140,844,464

$18,961,479

$(11,741,866

)

$7,219,613

Global Equity Impact Fund

52,985,539

25,470,793

(1,395,393

)

24,075,400

Total Return Bond Fund

203,702,319

2,562,141

(2,353,106

)

209,035

Global High Income Fund

147,473,709

7,224,681

(673,195

)

6,551,486

The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020 was as follows (total distributions paid may differ from the Statements of Changes in Net Assets because for tax purposes dividends are recognized when actually paid):

Distributions paid from

Fund

Ordinary
Income
*

Net
Long Term
Capital Gains
*

Total
Taxable
Distributions

Tax Exempt
Distributions

Return of
Capital

Total
Distributions Paid

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

$6,406,308

$

$6,406,308

$

$

$6,406,308

Global Equity Impact Fund

1,529,178

1,529,178

1,529,178

Total Return Bond Fund

5,085,148

5,085,148

5,085,148

Global High Income Fund

8,178,263

8,178,263

8,178,263

Amounts listed as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

As of April 30, 2021, the components of accumulated earnings/(deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

Fund

Undistributed Tax Exempt Income

Undistributed
Ordinary
Income

Undistributed
Long-Term
Capital
Gains

Accumulated
Earnings

Distributions
Payable

Late Year
Ordinary and
Post-October
Capital Loss
Deferrals

Other Temporary Differences

 

Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)*

Accumulated
Capital and
Other
Losses**

 

Total
Accumulated
Earnings/
(Deficit)

 

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

$

$504,206

$

$

$

$

$

$10,602,819

$(427,275,223

)

$(416,168,198

)

Global Equity Impact Fund

166,048

9,445,197

(24,240,219

)

(14,628,974

)

Total Return Bond Fund

9,439,805

2,673,909

(267

)

2,160,478

14,273,925

Global High Income Fund

179,829

4

1,256,505

(237,931,558

)

(239,008,230

)

*The difference between the book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) is attributable primarily to tax deferral of losses on wash sales.

**As of October 31, 2020, for Federal income tax purposes, these Funds have capital loss carryforwards available to offset capital gains, if any, to the extent provided by the Treasury regulations, with no expiration.

As of April 30, 2021, for federal tax purposes, capital loss carryforwards, as shown in the table below, were available to the extent provided by the regulations to offset future realized gains on each respective fund throughout the years indicated.

Fund

 

Amount

Expires

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

$20,177,122

Unlimited (Short-Term)

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

407,098,101

Unlimited (Long-Term)

Global Equity Impact Fund

24,240,219

Unlimited (Short-Term)

Global High Income Fund

53,728,063

Unlimited (Short-Term)

Global High Income Fund

184,203,495

Unlimited (Long-Term)

56  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

9. Significant Shareholders

As of April 30, 2021, the Funds had shareholders with the percentage ownership indicated, which are considered significant shareholders (holdings greater than 5.0%) for financial reporting purposes:

Fund

Record Ownership %

Number of
Account Owners

 

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

68.2%

3

Global Equity Impact Fund

43.5

3

Total Return Bond Fund

64.9

5

Global High Income Fund

70.1

5

10. Line of Credit

On April 12, 2021, the Trust, on behalf of each of the Funds (the “Borrowers”) entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement (as amended, the “Agreement”) with State Street Bank and Trust Company (the “Bank”) which provides for a $40,000,000 committed line of credit available to the Borrowers. The below table summarizes the usage of the Principal on each outstanding loan made under the Agreement bears the interest at a variable rate per annum equal to the higher of (a) the Federal Funds Rate as in effect on that day (not less than zero) plus 1.25% or (b) the Overnight Banking Funding Rate as in effect on that day (not less than zero) plus 10 basis point and plus 1.25%. In addition, the Borrowers shall pay to the Bank a commitment fee at the rate of 0.25% per annum on the daily unused portion of each of the Credit Facility, as applicable, which is allocated among the Borrowers in such manner as is determined by the Board to be reasonable.

The below table is a summary of the line of credit usage under the Credit Facilities for the period ended April 30, 2021.

 

Average Outstanding
Daily Balance

Average Weighted
Interest Rate

Days
Utilized

 

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

$100,000

1.37%

2

11. Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In October 2020, the SEC adopted new regulations governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies. Rule 18f-4 will impose limits on the amount of derivatives a fund could enter into, eliminate the asset segregation framework currently used by funds to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, and require funds whose use of derivatives is more than a limited specified exposure to establish and maintain a derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager. While the new rule became effective February 19, 2021, funds will not be required to fully comply with the new rule until August 19, 2022. It is not currently clear what impact, if any, the new rule will have on the availability, liquidity or performance of derivatives. Management is assessing the impact of Rule 18f-4 on the Funds.

12. Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated the need for disclosures and/or adjustments resulting from subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued. Based on this evaluation, no disclosures and/or adjustments were required to the financial statements as of April 30, 2021, except as noted below.

ASII, the Fund’s investment adviser, has advised the Board of Trustees (the “Board” or “Trustees”) that on or about August 31, 2021, it will no longer offer the investment strategy pursued by the Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund (“TRB Fund”).

At a meeting held on May 4, 2021, the Board of Trustees of the Trust, after considering various alternatives, approved an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan of Reorganization”) and, in the alternative, a Plan of Liquidation to liquidate the TRB Fund (the “Liquidation”). The Plan of Reorganization provides for the reorganization of the TRB Fund into the Aberdeen Global Absolute Return Strategies Fund (the “GARS Acquiring Fund”), a series of Aberdeen Funds (the “Reorganization”).  As an alternative to the Reorganization, shareholders will be asked to approve the Liquidation.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  57

Notes to Financial Statements (concluded)

April 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

The Adviser and the Board believe that certain shareholders may prefer a tax-free reorganization over a liquidation of the TRB Fund, which would result in capital gains or losses when the TRB Fund distributes the proceeds of the liquidation.  Offering the dual-vote options enables each shareholder to vote according to their preference. Even if shareholders approve the Plan of Reorganization, they may redeem their shares at any time.

A notice of a special meeting of TRB Fund shareholders and combined proxy statement and prospectus for the GARS Acquiring Fund, seeking shareholder approval for the Plan of Reorganization or Liquidation (the “Special Meeting”) will be mailed to TRB Fund shareholders in advance of the Special Meeting, which is expected to be held in the third quarter of 2021. If the Plan of Reorganization is approved by TRB Fund shareholders at the Special Meeting, shareholders of the TRB Fund will receive shares of the GARS Acquiring Fund having the same aggregate value as the shares of the TRB Fund they hold on the date of the Reorganization. The Reorganization will not affect the value of your account in the TRB Fund at the time of the Reorganization. The Reorganization is expected to be treated as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes.

If approved, the Reorganization is expected to occur after the Special Meeting, in the third quarter of 2021. Prior to the Reorganization, ASII will continue to manage the Fund in the ordinary course, as described in the TRB Fund’s Prospectus.

If Fund shareholders approve the Reorganization, ASII will continue to serve as the investment adviser, as ASII is the investment adviser of the GARS Acquiring Fund, and Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited (“AAML”) is the sub-adviser. If TRB Fund Shareholders do not approve the Reorganization and instead approve the Liquidation, the TRB Fund will liquidate as soon as practicable after the Special Meeting. If TRB Fund Shareholders do not approve either the Reorganization or the Liquidation, the Board will consider other alternatives.

TRB Fund shareholders may purchase shares of the TRB Fund in the ordinary course until the last business day before the closing of the Reorganization, as described in the TRB Fund’s Prospectus; however new shareholders will not be permitted to purchase the TRB Fund during the period one week prior to the Reorganization. In the event of a Liquidation, purchases of shares would be suspended prior to the Liquidation and shareholders would be notified of that date in advance.  TRB Fund shareholders may redeem shares of the TRB Fund in the ordinary course until the last business day before the closing of the Reorganization or Liquidation, as described in the TRB Fund’s Prospectus.  Purchase and redemption requests received after closing of the Reorganization (if approved) should be directed to the GARS Acquiring Fund in accordance with its prospectus.

58  2021 Semi-Annual Report

Shareholder Expense Examples (Unaudited)

As a shareholder of the Aberdeen Investment Funds you incur ongoing costs, including investment advisory fees, shareholder service fees, distribution fees and other Fund expenses. The examples below are intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Funds and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The examples assume that you had a $1,000 investment in the Class at the beginning of the reporting period, November 1, 2020 and continued to hold your shares at the end of the reporting period, April 30, 2021.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number under the heading entitled “Actual Expenses Paid During Period” for the class of a Fund that you own to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during the period.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Class’ actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Class’ actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Class of a Fund and other funds. To do so, compare the 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

 

 

Beginning Account
Value,
November 1, 2020

 

Actual Ending
Account Value,
April 30, 2021

 

Hypothetical
Ending Account
Value

 

Actual Expenses
Paid During
Period

1 

Hypothetical
Expenses Paid
During
Period

12 

Annualized Expense Ratio

 

International Sustainable Leaders Fund

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,220.60

$1,018.10

$7.43

$6.76

1.35%

 

Institutional Class

$1,000.00

$1,222.50

$1,019.34

$6.06

$5.51

1.10%

Global Equity Impact Fund

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,275.80

$1,018.10

$7.62

$6.76

1.35%

 

Institutional Class

$1,000.00

$1,277.10

$1,019.34

$6.21

$5.51

1.10%

Total Return Bond Fund

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$997.50

$1,021.37

$3.42

$3.46

0.69%

 

Institutional Class

$1,000.00

$998.50

$1,022.61

$2.18

$2.21

0.44%

Global High Income Fund

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,082.60

$1,019.84

$5.16

$5.01

1.00%

 

Institutional Class

$1,000.00

$1,083.70

$1,021.08

$3.87

$3.76

0.75%

1Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

2Represents the hypothetical 5% return before expenses.

2021 Semi-Annual Report  59

Liquidity Risk Management Program (Unaudited)

The Funds have adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Liquidity Program”) consistent with the requirements of Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Liquidity Rule”). “Liquidity Risk” is defined as the risk that a fund could not meet redemption requests “without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the fund.” Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc., the investment adviser and administrator to the Funds, has been approved and designated by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) as the administrator of the Liquidity Program (the “Administrator”) and has retained a third party to perform certain functions, including liquidity analytics and providing market data. The Administrator has formed a Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”) to help implement and carry out the day-to-day operations of the Liquidity Program.

As required by the Liquidity Rule, at a meeting on April 22, 2021, the Board received a written annual report on the operation and effectiveness of the Liquidity Program for the period from February 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021 (the “Reporting Period”). The annual report provided, among other items, an overview of the Liquidity Program including:

information regarding the Committee and the monthly discussions by the Committee of various items including, but not limited to, the following:

oReview and analysis of appropriate liquidity categories for portfolio investments

oReview of highly liquid investment minimum (“HLIM”) and reasonably anticipated trading sizes (“RATS”)

oReview of current and upcoming market events, such as market closures, that may impact liquidity

oReview of large shareholder concentrations that may impact liquidity in the event of redemption

the monitoring and classification of portfolio holdings in four liquidity categories (including the operation of the HLIM and any breaches); and

enhancements to the Liquidity Program during the Reporting Period, which included:

omonthly liquidity reports being provided to portfolio managers

oevaluation and change in the RATS of Aberdeen Emerging Markets Fund based on shareholder concentration and the nature of securities held in the fund’s portfolio

ochanges to the Liquidity Program to address regulatory guidance relating to the closure of a foreign securities market for seven or more calendar days due to a foreign holiday.

The annual report concluded that the Liquidity Program was reasonably designed to assess and manage the Funds’ Liquidity Risk pursuant to the Liquidity Rule.

There can be no assurance that the Liquidity Program will achieve its objectives under all circumstances in the future. Please refer to your Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for more information regarding the risks of investing in a Fund, including a Fund’s exposure to liquidity risk and other risks to which the Funds may be subject.

Management Information

Trustees

Antoine Bernheim, Chairman

Thomas Gibbons

Bev Hendry

Peter Wolfram

Investment Adviser

Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc.

1900 Market Street, Suite 200

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Transfer Agent

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.

430 W. 7th Street Ste. 219534

Kansas City, MO 64105-1407

Distributor

Aberdeen Fund Distributors LLC

1900 Market Street, Suite 200

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Fund Administrator, Custodian & Fund Accountant

State Street Bank and Trust Company

1 Lincoln Street

Boston, MA 02111

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

KPMG LLP

1601 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Fund Counsel

Sidley Austin LLP

787 7th Avenue

New York, NY 10019

Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc.

1900 Market Street, Suite 200

Philadelphia, PA 19103

aberdeenstandard.com/us

AOE-0377-SAR

 

 

 

 

 

Item 2. Code of Ethics.

 

Not applicable – for annual reports only.

 

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.

 

Not applicable – for annual reports only.

 

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

 

Not applicable – for annual reports only.

 

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 6. Investments

 

(a)Included as part of the Reports to Shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form N-CSR.

 

(b)Not applicable.

 

Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-end Management Investment Companies.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

 

During the period ended April 30, 2021, there were no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Registrant’s Board of Trustees.

 

Item 11. Controls and Procedures.

 

(a) The Registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(b)) and Rule 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)).

 

 

 

(b) There were no changes in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 12. Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 13. Exhibits.

 

(a)(1) Not applicable.

(a)(2) Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the 1940 Act and Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto.

 

(a)(3) Not applicable.

 

(a)(4) Not applicable.

 

(b) Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the 1940 Act and Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto.

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Aberdeen Investment Funds

 

 

By: /s/ Bev Hendry

Bev Hendry

Principal Executive Officer of

Aberdeen Investment Funds

 

Date: July 8, 2021

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

By: /s/ Bev Hendry

Bev Hendry

Principal Executive Officer of

Aberdeen Investment Funds

 

Date: July 8, 2021

 

 

By: /s/ Andrea Melia

Andrea Melia

Principal Financial Officer of

Aberdeen Investment Funds

 

Date: July 8, 2021