-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, I/2vA8yD5bd4QZ5utfMrHEJFGtq8sLQXtIu3HB+JNWe2CY/4vDH3eSt3AkkuMq0y tF0PCBk1SKou9CK0sgFyWw== 0000891092-10-002364.txt : 20100604 0000891092-10-002364.hdr.sgml : 20100604 20100604150637 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0000891092-10-002364 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 497 PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 1 FILED AS OF DATE: 20100604 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20100604 EFFECTIVENESS DATE: 20100604 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: BLACKROCK FOCUS VALUE FUND, INC. CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000701960 IRS NUMBER: 133114958 STATE OF INCORPORATION: MD FISCAL YEAR END: 0731 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 497 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 002-77068 FILM NUMBER: 10878769 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 100 BELLEVUE PARKWAY CITY: WILMINGTON STATE: DE ZIP: 19809 BUSINESS PHONE: 800-441-7762 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 100 BELLEVUE PARKWAY CITY: WILMINGTON STATE: DE ZIP: 19809 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: MERRILL LYNCH FOCUS VALUE FUND DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 20001006 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: MERRILL LYNCH PHOENIX FUND INC DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19920703 0000701960 S000002519 BLACKROCK FOCUS VALUE FUND, INC. C000006947 Investor A C000006948 Investor B C000006949 Investor C C000006950 Institutional C000006951 Class R 497 1 e38970_497.htm SUPPLEMENT

BLACKROCK FOCUS VALUE FUND, INC.
(the “Fund”)

Supplement dated June 4, 2010 to the
Prospectus, dated October 28, 2009

Effective June 4, 2010, the following changes are made to the Prospectus of the Fund.

Change in the Fund’s Investment Strategy

The reference to foreign securities as an “Other Strategy” of the Fund is deleted and recharacterized as a “Principal Investment Strategy” of the Fund. The additional “Principal Investment Strategy” is as follows:

     The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets at the time of purchase in securities of foreign issuers, of which up to 10% can be in fixed income securities. The Fund may invest in debt securities issued or guaranteed by foreign government entities, commonly known as sovereign debt securities.

Additions to Principal Risks

The references to foreign securities risk and sovereign debt risk as “Other Risks” of the Fund are deleted and replaced with references to such risks as “Principal Risks” of the Fund. Foreign securities risk and sovereign debt risk provide as follows:

In the section of the Prospectus captioned “Fund Overview — Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”:

Foreign Securities Risk — Foreign investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. These risks include:

  • The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories, which may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business and may be subject to only limited or no regulatory oversight.

  • Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

  • The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position.

  • The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investments in their capital markets or in certain industries.

  • Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as does the United States and may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws.

  • Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets may result in delays in payment for or delivery of securities not typically associated with settlement and clearance of U.S. investments.

Sovereign Debt Risk — Sovereign debt instruments are subject to the risk that a governmental entity may delay or refuse to pay interest or repay principal on its sovereign debt, due, for example, to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy or the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies.

In the section of the Prospectus captioned “Details About the Fund — Investment Risks — Main Risks of Investing in the Fund”:

Foreign Securities Risk — Securities traded in foreign markets have often (though not always) performed differently from securities traded in the United States. However, such investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that because there may be fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller



number of securities traded each day, it may be more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may go up and down more than prices of securities traded in the United States.

  • Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States — The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight of their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries limit the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank, depository or issuer of a security, or any of their agents, goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund than for investment companies invested only in the United States.

  • Currency Risk — Securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests may be denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. For this reason, changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

    Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,” means that a strong U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns.

  • Foreign Economy Risk — The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. Certain foreign economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investments in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these actions could severely affect securities prices or impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or transfer the Fund’s assets or income back into the United States, or otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s operations.

    Other potential foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing legal judgments in foreign courts and political and social instability. Diplomatic and political developments, including rapid and adverse political changes, social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war, could affect the economies, industries and securities and currency markets, and the value of the Fund’s investments, in non-U.S. countries. These factors are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict and take into account with respect to the Fund’s investments.

  • Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards — Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as such regulations exist in the United States. They also may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company’s securities based on material non-public information about that company. In addition, some countries may have legal systems that may make it difficult for the Fund to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and pursue legal remedies with respect to its foreign investments. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder for Fund management to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition.

2



    • Settlement Risk — Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement and clearance procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically associated with the settlement of U.S. investments.

      At times, settlements in certain foreign countries have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions. These problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party; the Fund could be liable for any losses incurred.

Sovereign Debt Risk — Sovereign debt instruments are subject to the risk that a governmental entity may delay or refuse to pay interest or repay principal on its sovereign debt, due, for example, to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy or the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies. If a governmental entity defaults, it may ask for more time in which to pay or for further loans. There is no legal process for collecting sovereign debt that a government does not pay nor are there bankruptcy proceedings through which all or part of the sovereign debt that a governmental entity has not repaid may be collected.

Shareholders should retain this Supplement for future reference.



Code# ALLPR-FV-0610-SUP


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