8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 23, 2024

First Trust High Income Long/Short Fund

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Massachusetts	811-22442	27-3072807
(State or other jurisdiction	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer
of incorporation)		Identification No.)

120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400 Wheaton, Illinois (Address of principal executive offices) 60187 (zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (630) 765-8000

_____________________________________________________ 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐    Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐    Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐    Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐    Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of class	Trading Symbol	Name of Exchange on which registered
Common stock, $0.01 par value per share	FSD	New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐  

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

First Trust High Income Long/Short Fund (“FSD”) is filing herewith a press release issued on July 22, 2024, as Exhibit 99.1. abrdn Income Credit Strategies Fund (NYSE: ACP) (“ACP”) and FSD announced the completed reorganization of FSD with and into ACP after close of regular business on July 19, 2024.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit
Number	Description
99.1	Press Release, dated July 22, 2024.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated: July 23, 2024		FIRST TRUST HIGH INCOME LONG/SHORT FUND
	By:	/s/ W. Scott Jardine
	Name	W. Scott Jardine
	Title:	Secretary

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit
Number	Description
99.1	Press Release, dated July 22, 2024.

EX-99

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information Contact: abrdn
U.S. Closed-End Funds Investor
Relations

1-800-522-5465

Investor.Relations@abrdn.com

First Trust Advisors L.P.

1-800-988-5891

info@ftportfolios.com

ABRDN INCOME CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND (ACP) AND FIRST TRUST HIGH INCOME LONG/SHORT FUND (FSD) ANNOUNCE CLOSING OF REORGANIZATION

(Philadelphia, PA and Wheaton, IL, July 22, 2024) – abrdn Income Credit Strategies Fund (NYSE: ACP) (“ACP” or the “Acquiring Fund”) and First Trust High Income Long/Short Fund (NSYE: FSD) (“FSD” or the “Acquired Fund”) announce today the completed reorganization of the Acquired Fund with the Acquiring Fund after close of regular business on July 19, 2024.

In the reorganization, common shareholders of FSD received an amount of ACP common shares with a net asset value equal to the aggregate net asset value of their holdings of FSD common shares, as determined at the close of regular business on July 19, 2024.

Relevant details pertaining to the reorganization are as follows:

Acquiring Fund	Website for additional information	Acquired Fund	Acquiring Fund NAV per Share ($) 7/19/24	Conversion Ratio
ACP	abrdnacp.com	FSD	6.6326	1.893482

There are no proposed changes to the current investment objective, strategies, structure, or policies of the Acquiring Fund as a result of the reorganization.

abrdn welcomes the FSD shareholders to the abrdn Fund family. As a leading global asset manager, abrdn is dedicated to creating long-term value for our clients. As of March 31, 2024, abrdn manages over $472.8 billion in assets on behalf of institutional and retail clients worldwide and believes that our global footprint ensures that we are always close to our clients and the challenges they face. For more information on the abrdn range of open-end and closed-end mutual funds please visit abrdn.com/us.

Important Information

In the United States, abrdn is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: abrdn Inc., abrdn Investments Limited., abrdn Asia Limited, and abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC.

First Trust Advisors LP. (“FTA”) is a federally registered investment advisor and serves as the investment advisor of the Fund. FTA and its affiliate First Trust Portfolios L.P. (“FTP”), a FINRA registered broker-dealer, are privately-held companies that provide a variety of investment services. FTA has collective assets under management or supervision of approximately $228 billion as of June 30, 2024, through unit investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds, and separate managed accounts.

FTA is the supervisor of the First Trust unit investment trusts, while FTP is the sponsor. FTP is also a distributor of mutual fund shares and exchange-traded fund creation units. FTA and FTP are based in Wheaton, Illinois.

The information in this press release is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to or in connection with the proposed transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Acquiring Fund’s investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund’s portfolio. There is no assurance that the Acquiring Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

abrdnacp.com

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XML

Cover	Jul. 23, 2024
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	8-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jul. 23, 2024
Entity File Number	811-22442
Entity Registrant Name	First Trust High Income Long/Short Fund
Entity Central Index Key	0001494530
Entity Tax Identification Number	27-3072807
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	MA
Entity Address, Address Line One	120 East Liberty Drive
Entity Address, Address Line Two	Suite 400
Entity Address, City or Town	Wheaton
Entity Address, State or Province	IL
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	60187
City Area Code	630
Local Phone Number	765-8000
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common stock, $0.01 par value per share
Trading Symbol	FSD
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false