XML 11 R1.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.24.2.u1
N-2 - $ / shares
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2024
Dec. 31, 2023
Cover [Abstract]    
Entity Central Index Key 0001287480  
Amendment Flag false  
Document Type N-CSRS  
Entity Registrant Name BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust  
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]    
Investment Objectives and Practices [Text Block]
Investment Objective
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust
s (BGT) (the “Trust”)
primary investment objective is to provide a high level of current income. The Trust’s secondary investment
objective is to seek the preservation of capital to the extent consistent with its primary objective of high current income. The Trust seeks to achieve its investment objectives by
investing primarily, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its assets in floating and variable rate instruments of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including a substantial
portion of its assets in global floating and variable rate securities including senior secured floating rate loans made to corporate and other business entities. Under normal
market conditions, the Trust expects that the average effective duration of its portfolio will be no more than 1.5 years. The Trust may invest directly in such securities or
synthetically through the use of derivatives.
No assurance can be given that the Trust’s investment objective will be achieved.
 
Risk Factors [Table Text Block]
10.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
In the normal course of business, the Trusts
invest in securities or other instruments and may enter into certain transactions, and such activities subject each
Trust to various
risks, including among others, fluctuations in the market (market risk) or failure of an issuer to meet all of its obligations. The value of securities or other instruments may also
be affected by various factors, including, without limitation: (i) the general economy; (ii) the overall market as well as local, regional or global political and/or social instability;
(iii) regulation, taxation or international tax treaties between various countries; or (iv) currency, interest rate and price fluctuations. Local, regional or global events such as war,
acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Trusts and their investments.
Illiquidity Risk:
 Each Trust may invest without limitation in illiquid or less liquid investments or investments in which no secondary market is readily available or which are
otherwise illiquid, including private placement securities. A Trust may not be able to readily dispose of such investments at prices that approximate those at which a Trust could
sell such investments if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, a Trust may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if
necessary to raise funds to meet its obligations. Limited liquidity can also affect the market price of investments, thereby adversely affecting a Trust’s NAV and ability to make
dividend distributions. Privately issued debt securities are often of below investment grade quality, frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as investing in
below investment grade public debt securities.
Market Risk:
Each
Trust may be exposed to prepayment risk, which is the risk that borrowers may exercise their option to prepay principal earlier than scheduled during
periods of declining interest rates, which would force each
Trust to reinvest in lower yielding securities. Each
Trust
may also be exposed to reinvestment risk, which is the risk
that income from each
Trust’s portfolio will decline if each
Trust invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called fixed-income securities at market interest rates that are
below each
Trust portfolio’s current earnings rate.
Municipal securities are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, or the bankruptcy
of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer’s ability to make payments of principal and/or interest or otherwise affect the value of such securities. Municipal
securities can be significantly affected by political or economic changes, including changes made in the law after issuance of the securities, as well as uncertainties in the
municipal market related to, taxation, legislative changes or the rights of municipal security holders, including in connection with an issuer insolvency. Municipal securities
backed by current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets can be negatively affected by the discontinuance of the tax benefits supporting the project
or assets or the inability to collect revenues for the project or from the assets. Municipal securities may be less liquid than taxable bonds, and there may be less publicly
available information on the financial condition of municipal security issuers than for issuers of other securities.
Valuation Risk:
The market values of equities, such as common stocks and preferred securities or equity related investments, such as futures and options, may decline due
to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries.
A
Trust may invest in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that a
Trust reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions
in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. A
Trust may experience difficulty in selling illiquid
investments in a timely manner at the price that it believes the investments are worth. Prices may fluctuate widely over short or extended periods in response to company,
market or economic news. Markets also tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. This volatility may cause each
Trust’s NAV to experience significant
increases or decreases over short periods of time. If there is a general decline in the securities and other markets, the NAV of a
Trust may lose value, regardless of the
individual results of the securities and other instruments in which a
Trust invests.
The price a Trust could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from a Trust
s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in
thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation technique or a price provided by an independent pricing service. Changes to significant unobservable inputs and
assumptions (i.e., publicly traded company multiples, growth rate, time to exit) due to the lack of observable inputs may significantly impact the resulting fair value and therefore
a Trust
s results of operations. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by a Trust, and a Trust could realize a greater
than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. A Trust
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.
Counterparty Credit Risk:
The Trusts may be exposed to counterparty credit risk, or the risk that an entity may fail to or be unable to perform on its commitments related to
unsettled or open
transactions
, including making timely interest and/or principal payments or otherwise honoring its obligations. The Trusts manage counterparty credit risk by
entering into transactions only with counterparties that the Manager believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of
those counterparties. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Trusts to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks, consist principally of financial instruments and
receivables due from counterparties. The extent of the Trusts
exposure to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks with respect to these financial assets is approximately
their value recorded in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities, less any collateral held by the Trusts.
A derivative contract may suffer a mark-to-market loss if the value of the contract decreases due to an unfavorable change in the market rates or values of the underlying
instrument. Losses can also occur if the counterparty does not perform under the contract.
For OTC options purchased, each
Trust bears the risk of loss in the amount of the premiums paid plus the positive change in market values net of any collateral held by the
Trusts should the counterparty fail to perform under the contracts. Options written by the Trusts do not typically give rise to counterparty credit risk, as options written generally
obligate the Trusts, and not the counterparty, to perform. The Trusts may be exposed to counterparty credit risk with respect to options written to the extent each
Trust
deposits
collateral with its counterparty to a written option.
With exchange-traded options purchased and exchange-traded futures and centrally cleared swaps, there is less counterparty credit risk to the Trusts since the exchange or
clearinghouse, as counterparty to such instruments, guarantees against a possible default. The clearinghouse stands between the buyer and the seller of the contract;
therefore, credit risk is limited to failure of the clearinghouse. While offset rights may exist under applicable law, a Trust does not have a contractual right of offset against a
clearing broker or clearinghouse in the event of a default (including the bankruptcy or insolvency). Additionally, credit risk exists in exchange-traded futures and centrally
cleared swaps with respect to initial and variation margin that is held in a clearing broker’s customer accounts. While clearing brokers are required to segregate customer
margin from their own assets, in the event that a clearing broker becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy and at that time there is a shortfall in the aggregate amount of
margin held by the clearing broker for all its clients, typically the shortfall would be allocated on a pro rata basis across all the clearing broker’s customers, potentially resulting
in losses to the Trusts.
Geographic/Asset Class Risk:
A diversified portfolio, where this is appropriate and consistent with a fund’s objectives, minimizes the risk that a price change of a particular
investment will have a material impact on the NAV of a fund. The investment concentrations within each
Trust’s portfolio are disclosed in its Schedule of Investments.
The
Trusts invest a significant portion of their assets in high yield securities. High yield securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”)
or are unrated may be deemed speculative, involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and are more likely to default. High yield securities may
be issued by less creditworthy issuers, and issuers of high yield securities may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations. High yield securities are
subject to extreme price fluctuations, may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, even under normal economic conditions, and frequently have redemption
features.
The
Trusts invest a significant portion of their assets in fixed-income securities and/or use derivatives tied to the fixed-income markets. Changes in market interest rates or
economic conditions may affect the value and/or liquidity of such investments. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will decrease
as interest rates rise and increase as interest rates fall. The Trusts may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates during a period of historically low interest rates. The
Federal Reserve has raised the federal funds rate as part of its efforts to address inflation. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in
heightened market volatility, and could negatively impact the Trusts
performance.
The
Trusts invest a significant portion of their assets in securities of issuers located in the United States.
A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations,
inflation and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. Proposed
and adopted policy and legislative changes in the United States may also have a significant effect on U.S. markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities.
Governmental agencies project that the United States will continue to maintain elevated public debt levels for the foreseeable future which may constrain future economic
growth. Circumstances could arise that could prevent the timely payment of interest or principal on U.S. government debt, such as reaching the legislative “debt ceiling.” Such
non-payment would result in substantial negative consequences for the U.S. economy and the global financial system. If U.S. relations with certain countries deteriorate, it
could adversely affect issuers that rely on the United States for trade. The United States has also experienced increased internal unrest and discord. If these trends were to
continue, they may have an adverse impact on the U.S. economy and the issuers in which the Trusts invest.
Certain
Trusts
invest
a significant portion of  their
assets in securities backed by commercial or residential mortgage loans or in issuers that hold mortgage and other asset-backed
securities. When a fund concentrates its investments in this manner, it assumes a greater risk of prepayment or payment extension by securities issuers. Changes in
economic conditions, including delinquencies and/or defaults on assets underlying these securities, can affect the value, income and/or liquidity of such positions. Investment
percentages in these
securities
are presented in the Schedules of Investments.
LIBOR Transition Risk
: The Trusts may be exposed to financial instruments that recently transitioned from, or continue to be tied to, the London Interbank Offered Rate
(“LIBOR”) to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates
LIBOR, has ceased publishing all LIBOR settings, but some USD LIBOR settings will continue to be published under a synthetic methodology until September 30, 2024 for
certain legacy contracts. SOFR has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. Under U.S. regulations that implement a statutory
fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR, benchmark rates based on SOFR have replaced LIBOR in certain financial contracts. The ultimate effect of the LIBOR transition
process on the Trusts is uncertain.
 
Share Price [Table Text Block]
Market Price and Net Asset Value Per Share Summary
 
06/30/24
12/31/23
Change
High
Low
Closing Market Price
$ 
12.76
$ 
12.38
3.07
% 
$ 
13.74
$ 
12.04
Net Asset Value
12.74
12.90
(1.24
)
12.95
12.71
 
Lowest Price or Bid $ 12.04  
Highest Price or Bid 13.74  
Lowest Price or Bid, NAV 12.71  
Highest Price or Bid, NAV 12.95  
Share Price 12.76 $ 12.38
NAV Per Share $ 12.74 $ 12.9
Capital Stock, Long-Term Debt, and Other Securities [Abstract]    
Capital Stock [Table Text Block]
11.
 
CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS 
BHK, BTZ and BGT is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares, par value $0.001, all of which were initially classified as Common Shares. HYT is authorized to issue
200 million shares, par value $0.10, all of which were initially classified as Common Shares. The Board is authorized, however, to reclassify any unissued Common Shares to
Preferred Shares without the approval of Common Shareholders.
Common Shares
BHK, HYT and BGT have filed a prospectus with the SEC allowing them to issue an additional 15,000,000, 40,000,000 and 11,000,000 Common Shares, respectively, through
an equity shelf program (a “Shelf Offering”). Under the Shelf Offering, BHK, HYT and BGT, subject to market conditions, may raise additional equity capital from time to time
in varying amounts and utilizing various offering methods at a net price at or above each Trust’s NAV per Common Share (calculated within 48 hours of pricing).  As of period
end June 30, 2024, 15,000,000, 38,417,553 and 10,648,865 Common Shares, respectively, remain available for issuance under the Shelf Offering. During the period ended
June 30, 2024, BHK, HYT and BGT issued 0, 1,582,447 and 351,135 shares, respectively, under the Shelf Offering. See Additional Information - Shelf Offering Program for
additional information.
Initial costs incurred by BHK, HYT and BGT in connection with their Shelf Offerings are recorded as “Deferred offering costs” in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. As
shares are sold, a portion of the costs attributable to the shares sold will be charged against paid-in-capital. Any remaining deferred charges at the end of the Shelf Offering
period will be charged to expense.
For the periods shown, shares issued and outstanding increased by the following amounts as a result of dividend reinvestment:
 
Six Months Ended
Year Ended
Trust Name
06/30/24
12/31/23
BHK
47,371
HYT
489,751
BGT
28,614
The Trusts participate in an open market share repurchase program (the “Repurchase Program”). From December 1, 2023 through November 30, 2024, each Trust may
repurchase up to 5% of its outstanding common shares under the Repurchase Program, based on common shares outstanding as of the close of business on November 30,
2023, subject to certain conditions. The Repurchase Program has an accretive effect as shares are purchased at a discount to the Trust’s NAV. There is no assurance that the
Trusts will purchase shares in any particular amounts.
For the six months ended June 30, 2024, the Trusts did not repurchase any shares.
For the six months ended June 30, 2024, shares issued and outstanding remained constant for BTZ.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, shares issued and outstanding decreased by 182,646 and 55,022 as a result of share repuchase for BTZ and BGT respectively.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, shares issued and outstanding remained constant for BHK and HYT. 
 
Outstanding Securities [Table Text Block] BHK, BTZ and BGT is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares, par value $0.001, all of which were initially classified as Common Shares.  
Outstanding Security, Held [Shares] 22,695,386  
Illiquidity Risk [Member]    
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]    
Risk [Text Block]
Illiquidity Risk:
 Each Trust may invest without limitation in illiquid or less liquid investments or investments in which no secondary market is readily available or which are
otherwise illiquid, including private placement securities. A Trust may not be able to readily dispose of such investments at prices that approximate those at which a Trust could
sell such investments if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, a Trust may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if
necessary to raise funds to meet its obligations. Limited liquidity can also affect the market price of investments, thereby adversely affecting a Trust’s NAV and ability to make
dividend distributions. Privately issued debt securities are often of below investment grade quality, frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as investing in
below investment grade public debt securities.
 
Market Risk [Member]    
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]    
Risk [Text Block]
Market Risk:
Each
Trust may be exposed to prepayment risk, which is the risk that borrowers may exercise their option to prepay principal earlier than scheduled during
periods of declining interest rates, which would force each
Trust to reinvest in lower yielding securities. Each
Trust
may also be exposed to reinvestment risk, which is the risk
that income from each
Trust’s portfolio will decline if each
Trust invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called fixed-income securities at market interest rates that are
below each
Trust portfolio’s current earnings rate.
Municipal securities are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, or the bankruptcy
of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer’s ability to make payments of principal and/or interest or otherwise affect the value of such securities. Municipal
securities can be significantly affected by political or economic changes, including changes made in the law after issuance of the securities, as well as uncertainties in the
municipal market related to, taxation, legislative changes or the rights of municipal security holders, including in connection with an issuer insolvency. Municipal securities
backed by current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets can be negatively affected by the discontinuance of the tax benefits supporting the project
or assets or the inability to collect revenues for the project or from the assets. Municipal securities may be less liquid than taxable bonds, and there may be less publicly
available information on the financial condition of municipal security issuers than for issuers of other securities.
 
Valuation Risk [Member]    
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]    
Risk [Text Block]
Valuation Risk:
The market values of equities, such as common stocks and preferred securities or equity related investments, such as futures and options, may decline due
to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries.
A
Trust may invest in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that a
Trust reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions
in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. A
Trust may experience difficulty in selling illiquid
investments in a timely manner at the price that it believes the investments are worth. Prices may fluctuate widely over short or extended periods in response to company,
market or economic news. Markets also tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. This volatility may cause each
Trust’s NAV to experience significant
increases or decreases over short periods of time. If there is a general decline in the securities and other markets, the NAV of a
Trust may lose value, regardless of the
individual results of the securities and other instruments in which a
Trust invests.
The price a Trust could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from a Trust
s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in
thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation technique or a price provided by an independent pricing service. Changes to significant unobservable inputs and
assumptions (i.e., publicly traded company multiples, growth rate, time to exit) due to the lack of observable inputs may significantly impact the resulting fair value and therefore
a Trust
s results of operations. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by a Trust, and a Trust could realize a greater
than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. A Trust
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.
 
Counterparty Credit Risk [Member]    
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]    
Risk [Text Block]
Counterparty Credit Risk:
The Trusts may be exposed to counterparty credit risk, or the risk that an entity may fail to or be unable to perform on its commitments related to
unsettled or open
transactions
, including making timely interest and/or principal payments or otherwise honoring its obligations. The Trusts manage counterparty credit risk by
entering into transactions only with counterparties that the Manager believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of
those counterparties. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Trusts to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks, consist principally of financial instruments and
receivables due from counterparties. The extent of the Trusts
exposure to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks with respect to these financial assets is approximately
their value recorded in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities, less any collateral held by the Trusts.
A derivative contract may suffer a mark-to-market loss if the value of the contract decreases due to an unfavorable change in the market rates or values of the underlying
instrument. Losses can also occur if the counterparty does not perform under the contract.
For OTC options purchased, each
Trust bears the risk of loss in the amount of the premiums paid plus the positive change in market values net of any collateral held by the
Trusts should the counterparty fail to perform under the contracts. Options written by the Trusts do not typically give rise to counterparty credit risk, as options written generally
obligate the Trusts, and not the counterparty, to perform. The Trusts may be exposed to counterparty credit risk with respect to options written to the extent each
Trust
deposits
collateral with its counterparty to a written option.
With exchange-traded options purchased and exchange-traded futures and centrally cleared swaps, there is less counterparty credit risk to the Trusts since the exchange or
clearinghouse, as counterparty to such instruments, guarantees against a possible default. The clearinghouse stands between the buyer and the seller of the contract;
therefore, credit risk is limited to failure of the clearinghouse. While offset rights may exist under applicable law, a Trust does not have a contractual right of offset against a
clearing broker or clearinghouse in the event of a default (including the bankruptcy or insolvency). Additionally, credit risk exists in exchange-traded futures and centrally
cleared swaps with respect to initial and variation margin that is held in a clearing broker’s customer accounts. While clearing brokers are required to segregate customer
margin from their own assets, in the event that a clearing broker becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy and at that time there is a shortfall in the aggregate amount of
margin held by the clearing broker for all its clients, typically the shortfall would be allocated on a pro rata basis across all the clearing broker’s customers, potentially resulting
in losses to the Trusts.
 
Geographic Asset Class Risk [Member]    
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]    
Risk [Text Block]
Geographic/Asset Class Risk:
A diversified portfolio, where this is appropriate and consistent with a fund’s objectives, minimizes the risk that a price change of a particular
investment will have a material impact on the NAV of a fund. The investment concentrations within each
Trust’s portfolio are disclosed in its Schedule of Investments.
The
Trusts invest a significant portion of their assets in high yield securities. High yield securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”)
or are unrated may be deemed speculative, involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and are more likely to default. High yield securities may
be issued by less creditworthy issuers, and issuers of high yield securities may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations. High yield securities are
subject to extreme price fluctuations, may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, even under normal economic conditions, and frequently have redemption
features.
The
Trusts invest a significant portion of their assets in fixed-income securities and/or use derivatives tied to the fixed-income markets. Changes in market interest rates or
economic conditions may affect the value and/or liquidity of such investments. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will decrease
as interest rates rise and increase as interest rates fall. The Trusts may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates during a period of historically low interest rates. The
Federal Reserve has raised the federal funds rate as part of its efforts to address inflation. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in
heightened market volatility, and could negatively impact the Trusts
performance.
The
Trusts invest a significant portion of their assets in securities of issuers located in the United States.
A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations,
inflation and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. Proposed
and adopted policy and legislative changes in the United States may also have a significant effect on U.S. markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities.
Governmental agencies project that the United States will continue to maintain elevated public debt levels for the foreseeable future which may constrain future economic
growth. Circumstances could arise that could prevent the timely payment of interest or principal on U.S. government debt, such as reaching the legislative “debt ceiling.” Such
non-payment would result in substantial negative consequences for the U.S. economy and the global financial system. If U.S. relations with certain countries deteriorate, it
could adversely affect issuers that rely on the United States for trade. The United States has also experienced increased internal unrest and discord. If these trends were to
continue, they may have an adverse impact on the U.S. economy and the issuers in which the Trusts invest.
Certain
Trusts
invest
a significant portion of  their
assets in securities backed by commercial or residential mortgage loans or in issuers that hold mortgage and other asset-backed
securities. When a fund concentrates its investments in this manner, it assumes a greater risk of prepayment or payment extension by securities issuers. Changes in
economic conditions, including delinquencies and/or defaults on assets underlying these securities, can affect the value, income and/or liquidity of such positions. Investment
percentages in these
securities
are presented in the Schedules of Investments.
 
LIBOR Transition Risk [Member]    
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]    
Risk [Text Block]
LIBOR Transition Risk
: The Trusts may be exposed to financial instruments that recently transitioned from, or continue to be tied to, the London Interbank Offered Rate
(“LIBOR”) to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates
LIBOR, has ceased publishing all LIBOR settings, but some USD LIBOR settings will continue to be published under a synthetic methodology until September 30, 2024 for
certain legacy contracts. SOFR has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. Under U.S. regulations that implement a statutory
fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR, benchmark rates based on SOFR have replaced LIBOR in certain financial contracts. The ultimate effect of the LIBOR transition
process on the Trusts is uncertain.