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N-2 - USD ($)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Dec. 31, 2020
Dec. 31, 2019
Dec. 31, 2018
Cover [Abstract]            
Entity Central Index Key   0000846676        
Amendment Flag   false        
Document Type   N-CSR        
Entity Registrant Name   abrdn Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund, Inc.        
Financial Highlights [Abstract]            
Senior Securities Amount   $ 55,000 $ 55,000 $ 40,900 $ 40,900 $ 49,000
Senior Securities Coverage per Unit   $ 6,330 $ 9,029 $ 12,674 $ 11,742 $ 9,996
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Investment Objectives and Practices [Text Block]  
Investment Objective, Strategies and Policies
Investment Objective. The Fund seeks to provide both current income and long-term capital appreciation. The Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental, and may be changed by the Fund’s Board without shareholder approval.
Principal Investment Strategy. The Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in emerging markets equity securities. If the Fund’s Board elects to change this 80% policy, the Fund will provide shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior notice.
Emerging market countries for purposes of this policy include every nation in the world except the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel and Singapore and countries represented in the MSCI Europe Index.
The definition of equity securities includes:
common stock and preferred stock (including convertible preferred stock),
stock purchase warrants and rights,
equity interests in trusts and partnerships, and
American, Global or other types of Depositary Receipts of emerging market
Determinations as to whether a company is an emerging market company will be made by the Investment Adviser based on publicly available information and inquiries made to the company.
Emerging market securities include securities that are issued by: (a) governments or government-related bodies of emerging market countries; and/or (b) companies or other issuers that (i) are organized under the laws of, or have their principal office in, an emerging market country,  (ii)  have  their  principal  securities  trading  market  in an emerging market country, and/or (iii) derive a majority of their annual revenue or assets from goods produced, sales made or services performed in emerging markets countries.
The Fund may also invest without limit in those markets deemed by the Investment Adviser to be “Frontier” markets, which are investable markets with lower total market capitalizations and liquidity than the more developed emerging markets.
From time to time, the Fund may have a significant amount of assets invested in securities of issuers of a single country or of a number of countries in a particular geographic region and therefore may be subject to a greater extent to risks associated therewith. The Fund currently anticipates that it will invest a significant amount of its assets in securities economically tied to Mainland China equity and equity-related securities including through the Shanghai-Hong Kong and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program or by any other available means.
The Fund uses leverage as part of its investment strategy through senior securities representing indebtedness. The Fund may use leverage through senior securities representing indebtedness up to 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount obtained through leverage), although the Investment Adviser currently intends to utilize leverage generally in the amount of 5% – 15% of the Fund’s total assets and does not currently expect such leverage to actively exceed 20% of total assets. The Fund is permitted to engage in other transactions, such as reverse repurchase agreements and issuance of debt securities or preferred securities, which have the effect of leverage.
The Fund may invest in securities of any market capitalization.
The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of companies in the same industry, although the Fund may invest in U.S. government securities without regard to this limitation. In selecting industries and companies for investment by the Fund, the Investment Adviser will consider factors such as overall growth prospects, competitive positions in domestic and export markets, technology, research and development, productivity, labor costs, raw material costs and sources, profit margins, return on investment, capital resources, government regulation and management. This policy may only be changed upon the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities.
Although the Fund will not invest 25% of more of its total assets in the securities of companies in the same industry, the Fund may invest in securities of any market sector and may hold a significant amount of securities of companies, from time to time, within a single sector. Currently, the Fund expects to be heavily exposed to the financial and information technology sectors.
The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in private placements of equity securities. Securities that are not publicly traded in the United States but that can be sold to “qualified institutional buyers” pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the “1933 Act”), will not be subject to these percentage limitations if these securities are deemed liquid pursuant to procedures adopted by the Fund’s Board and delegated to the Investment Adviser. Rule 144A Securities (defined below) and Regulation S Securities (defined below) may be freely traded among certain qualified institutional investors, such as the Fund, but their resale in the U.S. is permitted only in limited circumstances.
To the extent its assets are not invested as described above, the Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in:
debt securities denominated in the currency of an emerging country or issued or guaranteed by an emerging country company or the government of an emerging country,
equity or debt securities of corporate or governmental issuers located in developed countries, and
short-term and medium-term debt securities of the type described below under “Temporary Investments.”
The Fund’s assets may be invested in debt securities when the Investment Adviser believes that, based upon factors such as relative interest rate levels and foreign exchange rates, such debt securities offer opportunities to provide both current income and long-term capital appreciation.
The Fund may invest in debt securities that are rated no lower than A-2 by Standard & Poor’s Rating Group or P-2 by Moody’s Investor Services or the equivalent by another rating service or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality by the Investment Adviser. The Fund may invest in securities of any maturity.
For cash management purposes, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in certain short-term investments described below and, for temporary defensive purposes, may invest up to 100% of its assets in those short-term instruments.
Temporary Investments. During periods in which the Investment Adviser believes changes in economic, financial or political conditions make it advisable, the Fund may for temporary defensive purposes reduce its holdings in equity and other securities and invest in certain short-term (less than twelve months to maturity) and medium-term (not greater than five years to maturity) debt securities or hold cash. Temporary defensive positions may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
The Fund may invest in the following short-term instruments:
obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including repurchase agreements with respect to these securities),
bank obligations (including certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers’ acceptances) of U.S. banks and foreign banks denominated in any currency,
floating rate securities and other instruments denominated in any currency issued by international development agencies, banks
  and other financial institutions, governments and their agencies and instrumentalities, and corporations located in countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,
obligations of S. corporations that are rated no lower than A-2 by Standard & Poor’s Rating Group or P-2 by Moody’s Investor Services or the equivalent by another rating service or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality by the Investment Adviser, and
shares of money market funds that are authorized to invest in short-term instruments described above.
Currency Transactions. The Investment Adviser generally does not seek to hedge against declines in the value of the Fund’s non-U.S. dollar-denominated portfolio securities resulting from currency devaluations or fluctuations. If suitable hedging instruments are available on a timely basis and on acceptable terms, the Investment Adviser may, in its discretion, hedge all or part of the value of the Fund’s non-U.S. dollar-denominated portfolio securities, although it is not obligated to do so. The Fund will be subject to the risk of changes in value of the currencies of the emerging countries in which its assets are denominated, unless it engages in hedging transactions.
Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest indirectly in securities of emerging markets country issuers through sponsored or unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and other types of Depositary Receipts. Depositary Receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. In addition, the issuers of the stock of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States and, therefore, there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts. ADRs are Depositary Receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. GDRs and other types of Depositary Receipts are typically issued by foreign banks or trust companies, although they also may be issued by U.S. banks or trust companies, and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by either a foreign or a U.S. corporation. Generally, Depositary Receipts in registered form are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets and Depositary Receipts in bearer form are designed for use in securities markets outside the United States. For purposes of the Fund’s investment policies, the Fund’s investments in ADRs, GDRs and other types of Depositary Receipts will be deemed to be investments in the underlying securities.
Portfolio Turnover Rate. The Fund does not engage in the trading of securities for the purpose of realizing short-term profits, but adjusts its portfolio as it deems advisable in view of prevailing or anticipated market conditions to accomplish its investment objective.
Loans of Portfolio Securities. The Fund’s investment policies permit the Fund to enter into securities lending agreements. Under such agreements, the Fund may lend to borrowers (primarily banks and broker-dealers) portfolio securities with an aggregate market value of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets when it deems advisable. Any such loans must be secured by collateral (consisting of any combination of cash, U.S. government securities, irrevocable bank letters of credit or other high quality debt securities) in an amount at least equal, on a daily marked-to-market basis, to the current market value of the securities loaned. If the Fund enters into a securities lending arrangement, it is expected that cash collateral will be invested by the lending agent in short-term instruments, money market mutual funds or other collective investment funds, and income from these investments will be allocated among the Fund, the borrower and the lending agent. The Fund may terminate a loan after such notice period as is provided for the particular loan. The Fund would receive from the borrower amounts equivalent to any cash payments of interest, dividends and other distributions with respect to the loaned securities, although the tax treatment of such payments may differ from the treatment of distributions paid directly by the issuer to the Fund. The Fund would also have the option to require non-cash distributions on the loaned securities to be credited to its account.
An investment in the Fund may be speculative in that it involves a high degree of risk and should not constitute a complete investment program. See “Risk Factors.”
In rendering investment advisory services, the Investment Adviser may use the resources of subsidiaries owned by abrdn plc. The abrdn plc affiliates have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and have adopted personnel sharing procedures, pursuant to which investment professionals from the abrdn plc affiliates may render portfolio management, research and/or trade services to U.S. clients of the Investment Adviser. As such, in addition to their own extensive resource and experience, the Fund’s portfolio management team can draw on the full global investment resources of abrdn plc.
In seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, the Investment Adviser invests in quality companies and are active, engaged owners. The Investment Adviser evaluates every company against quality criteria and build conviction using a team-based approach and peer review process. The quality assessment covers five key factors: (1) durability of the business model, (2) the attractiveness of the industry, (3) the strength of financials, (4) the capability of management, and (5) the most material Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) factors impacting a company. Examples of ESG factors considered by the Investment Adviser include, but are not limited to, carbon emissions, climate risks, labor management,
employee safety and corporate governance. The specific factors considered may vary depending on the type of company being evaluated.
The Investment Adviser seeks to understand what is changing in companies, industries and markets but isn’t being priced into the market or is being mispriced. Through fundamental research, supported by a global research presence, the Investment Adviser seeks to identify companies whose quality is not yet fully recognized by the market.
The Investment Adviser may sell a security when it perceives that a company’s business direction or growth potential has changed or the company’s valuations no longer offer attractive relative value.
Additionally, the Investment Adviser may seek to enhance the yield of the Fund’s common stock by leveraging the Fund’s capital structure through the borrowing of money, or potentially the issuance of short term debt securities or shares of preferred stock. The use of leverage also involves certain expenses and risk considerations. See “Risk Factors – Leverage Risk” and “Additional Investment Policies – Leverage” in this section.
       
Risk Factors [Table Text Block]  
Risk Factors
General
The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end investment company designed primarily as a long-term investment and not as a trading tool. An investment in the Fund’s shares may be speculative and involves a high degree of risk. The Fund should not be considered a complete investment program. Due to the uncertainty in all investments, there can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Investment and Market Risk
Deteriorating market conditions might cause a general weakness in the market that reduces the prices of securities in that market. Developments in the stock market could also adversely affect the Fund by reducing the relative attractiveness of stocks as an
investment. Also, to the extent that the Fund emphasizes stocks from any given industry, it could be hurt if that industry does not do well.
Additionally, the Fund could lose value if the individual stocks in which it maintains long positions and/or the overall stock markets on which the stocks trade decline in price. Stocks and stock markets may experience short-term volatility (price fluctuation) as well as extended periods of price decline or increase. Individual stocks are affected by many factors, including:
corporate earnings;
production;
management;
sales; and
market trends, including investor demand for a particular type of stock, such as growth or value stocks, small or large stocks, or stocks within a particular industry.
Stock markets are affected by numerous factors, including interest rates, the outlook for corporate profits, the health of the national and world economies, national and world social and political events, and the fluctuation of other stock market around the world.
Market Events 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 the Fund’s investments. 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. The impact of these changes on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time. In addition, economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not the 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 the 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.
Foreign Securities Risk
Investing in foreign securities involves certain special considerations that are not typically associated with investments in the securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign issuers are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and may have policies that are not comparable to those of domestic issuers. As a result, there may be less information available about foreign issuers than about domestic issuers. Securities of some foreign issuers may be less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable domestic issuers. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of securities markets, brokers and issuers than in the United States. In addition, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, political and social instability, or diplomatic developments, which could affect the value of investments in those countries. The costs of investing in foreign countries frequently are higher than the costs of investing in the United States. Although the investment adviser endeavors to achieve the most favorable execution costs in portfolio transactions, trading costs in non-U.S. securities markets are generally higher than trading costs in the United States.
Investments in securities of foreign issuers often will be denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, the value of the Fund’s assets, as measured in U.S. dollars, may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates and in exchange control regulations. The Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. See “Currency Exchange Rate Fluctuations.”
The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories approved by State Street Bank and Trust Company, the Fund’s Foreign Custody Manager (as that term is defined in Rule 17f-5 under the 1940 Act). Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the
foreign custody business. There may be limited or no regulatory oversight over their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on 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.
Certain foreign governments levy withholding or other taxes on dividend and interest income. Although in some countries a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion of foreign withholding taxes will reduce the income received from investments in such countries.
From time to time, the Fund may have invested in certain sovereign debt obligations that are issued by, or certain companies that operate in or have dealings with, countries that become subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism.
Investments in such countries may be adversely affected because, for example, the credit rating of the sovereign debt security may be lowered due to the country’s instability or unreliability or the company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. As an investor in such companies, the Fund will be indirectly subject to those risks
Developing and Emerging Markets Risk
Investing in the securities of issuers located in developing and emerging market countries (and to a certain extent non-U.S. developed market countries) involves special considerations not typically associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers and other developed market issuers, including heightened risks of expropriation and/or nationalization, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on transfers of assets, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards, difficulties in dividend withholding reclaims procedures, less publicly available financial and other information and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.
The economies of individual developing and emerging market countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, currency depreciation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. Governments in emerging markets countries are often less stable and more likely to take extra-legal
action with respect to companies, industries, assets, or foreign ownership than those in more developed markets. Governments of many developing and emerging market countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In some cases, the government owns or controls many companies, including some of the largest in the country.
Accordingly, government actions could have a significant effect on economic conditions in a developing or emerging market country and on market conditions, prices and yields of securities in the Fund’s portfolio. Moreover, the economies of developing and emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. Many developing and emerging market economies are considered to be more politically volatile than the developed markets. Investments in securities of issuers in countries other than the U.S. may involve greater political risk, including in some countries, the possibility of nationalization of assets, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, restrictions on repatriation, and the establishment of foreign exchange controls, political changes, government regulation, overburdened and obsolete or unseasoned financial systems, environmental problems, less developed legal systems, economic or social instability or diplomatic developments (including war) which could affect adversely the economies of such countries or the value of the Fund’s investments in those countries. Central authorities also tend to exercise a high degree of control over the economies and in many cases have ownership over core productive assets.
The legal, accounting and financial reporting systems in many developing and emerging market countries are less developed than those in more developed countries, which may reduce the scope or quality of financial information available to investors. Furthermore, the administration of laws and regulations often may be subject to considerable discretion. Non-U.S. markets may offer less protection to investors than U.S. or other developed markets. It also may be difficult for investors to bring litigation or to obtain and enforce a judgment against issues in emerging markets or for U.S. regulators to bring enforcement actions against such issuers.
Due to their strong reliance on international trade, most developing and emerging market economies tend to be sensitive both to economic changes in their own region and to changes affecting their major trading partners. These include changes in growth, inflation, foreign exchange rates, current account positions, government policies, taxation and tariffs. Additionally, the economies of some emerging markets may be particularly exposed to or affected by a
certain industry or sector, and therefore issuers and/or securities of such emerging markets may be more affected by the performance of such industries or sectors. 
China Securities. In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities Risk” and “Developing and Emerging Markets Risk,” investing in certain countries, such as China, including Hong Kong, may present additional risks. Exposure to China may be gained through investments in securities that are economically tied to China or, in some cases, through direct investment in Chinese securities. The Fund invests in Chinese domestic securities markets primarily via Stock Connect Programs (defined below). Other than risks involved in investments on an international basis and in emerging markets, as well as other risks of investments generally as described within this section which are applicable to investments in China, investors should also note the additional specific risks below.
Chinese authorities may intervene in the China securities market and halt or suspend trading of securities for short or even longer periods of time. The China securities market has experienced considerable volatility and been subject to relatively frequent and extensive trading halts and suspensions. These trading halts and suspensions have, among other things, contributed to uncertainty in the markets and reduced the liquidity of the securities subject to such trading halts and suspensions, which could include securities held by the Fund.
In recent years, non-Chinese investors, such as the Fund, has been permitted to make investments usually only available to foreign investors through a quota license or by purchasing from specified brokers in Shanghai or other locations that have stock connect programs. China Stock Exchange-listed securities are available via brokers in Hong Kong through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program, through the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect Program, and may be available in the future through additional stock connect programs as they are developed in different locations (collectively, “Stock Connect Programs”). Investing in China A shares through Stock Connect Programs may be limited by quota and repatriation restrictions. Additionally, investments through Stock Connect Programs are subject to various risks, including liquidity risk, currency risk, legal and regulatory uncertainty risk, execution risk, operational risk, tax risk, counterparty risk and credit risk.
The Fund may also gain exposure to companies based or operated in China by investing through legal structures known as variable interest entities (VIEs). Instead of directly owning the equity securities of a Chinese company, a VIE enters into service and other contracts with the Chinese company. Although the VIE has no equity ownership of the Chinese company, the contractual arrangements permit the VIE to consolidate the Chinese company into its financial statements. The Chinese government could intervene with respect to VIEs, which
could significantly affect the Chinese company’s performance and the enforceability of the VIE’s contractual arrangement with the Chinese company.
Frontier Market Securities. The risks associated with investments in frontier market countries include all the risks described for investments in the sections entitled “Foreign Securities” and “Emerging Markets Securities,” although the risks are magnified for frontier market countries. Because frontier markets are among the smallest, least mature and least liquid of the emerging markets, investments in frontier markets generally are subject to a greater risk of loss than are investments in developed markets or traditional emerging markets. Frontier market countries have smaller economies, less developed capital markets, greater market volatility, lower trading volume, more political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments than are typically found in more developed markets.
Equity Risk
The value of equity securities, including common stock, preferred stock and convertible stock, will fluctuate in response to factors affecting the particular company, as well as broader market and economic conditions. Moreover, in the event of the company’s bankruptcy, claims of certain creditors, including bondholders, will have priority over claims of common stock holders and are likely to have varying types of priority over holders of preferred and convertible stock.
As an investment company that holds primarily common stocks, the Fund’s portfolio is subject to the possibility that common stock prices will decline over short or even extended periods. The Fund may remain substantially fully invested during periods when stock prices generally rise and also during periods when they generally decline. Moreover, as a holder of common stock, the Fund’s rights to the assets of the companies in which it invests will be subordinated to such companies’ holders of preferred stock and debt in the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or similar proceeding. Accordingly, if such an event were to occur to such a company in which the Fund invests, the Fund would be entitled to such a company’s assets only after such company’s preferred stockholders and debt holders have been paid. Risks are inherent in investments in equities, and Fund stockholders should be able to tolerate significant fluctuations in the value of their investment in the Fund.
Inflation Risk
Inflation risk is the risk that the purchasing power of assets or income from investment will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. To the extent that inflation occurs, it will reduce the real value of dividends paid by the Fund and the Fund’s common
stock. Most emerging market countries, in particular, have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high and volatile, rates of inflation. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had and may continue to have very negative effects on economies and securities markets globally. In an attempt to control inflation, wage and price controls have been imposed at times in certain countries.
Management Risk
The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Fund's successful pursuit of its investment objective depends upon the Investment Adviser's ability to find and exploit market inefficiencies with respect to undervalued securities and identify companies experiencing a change in dividend policy, including the announcement of restructuring initiatives or special dividends. Such situations occur infrequently and sporadically and may be difficult to predict, and may not result in a favorable pricing opportunity that allows the Investment Adviser to fulfill the Fund's investment objective. The Investment Adviser's security selections and other investment decisions might produce losses or cause the Fund to underperform when compared to other funds with similar investment goals. If one or more key individuals leave the employ of the Investment Adviser, the Investment Adviser may not be able to hire qualified replacements, or may require an extended time to do so. This could prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.
Issuer Risk
The value of an issuer's securities that are held in the Fund's portfolio may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services.
Currency Exchange Rate Fluctuations
The Fund’s securities will be subject to the risk that some holdings may lose value because of a decline in the value of the foreign currency or adverse political or economic events in such foreign country or elsewhere. Currency exchange rates can fluctuate significantly over short periods and can be subject to unpredictable changes based on a variety of factors, including political developments and currency controls by foreign governments. The Fund will normally hold many of its assets in foreign currencies. Accordingly, a change in the value of a foreign currency in which the Fund hold securities against the U.S. dollar will generally result in a change in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets. Such a change may thus decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
The currencies of developing and emerging markets, in particular, have experienced periods of steady declines or even sudden devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar. Some developing and emerging market currencies may not be internationally traded or may
be subject to strict controls by local governments, resulting in undervalued or overvalued currencies. Some developing and emerging markets have experienced balance of payment deficits and shortages in foreign exchange reserves. Governments have responded by restricting currency conversions. Future restrictive exchange controls could prevent or restrict a company’s ability to make dividend or interest payments in the original currency of an obligation (often U.S. dollars). Even though the currencies of some developing and emerging markets may be convertible into U.S. dollars, the conversion rates may be artificial to their actual market values.
In addition, although much of the Fund’s income will be received or realized in foreign currencies, the Fund will be required to compute and distribute its income in U.S. dollars. Therefore, for example, if the exchange rate for the foreign currency declines after the Fund’s income has been accrued and translated in U.S. dollars, but before the income has been received or converted into U.S. dollars, the Fund could be required to liquidate portfolio securities to make distributions. Similarly, if the exchange rate declines between the time the Fund  incurs expenses in U.S. dollars and the time such expenses are paid, the amount of the foreign currency required to be converted into U.S. dollars in order to pay those expenses will be greater than the foreign currency equivalent of those expenses at the time they were incurred.
Currency exchange rate fluctuations can decrease or eliminate income available for distribution or, conversely, increase income available for distribution. For example, in some situations, if certain currency exchange losses exceed net investment income for a taxable year, the Fund would not be able to make ordinary income distributions, and all or a portion of distributions made before the losses were realized but in the same taxable year would be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes, thus reducing shareholders’ cost basis in their Fund shares, or as a capital gain distribution, rather than as an ordinary income dividend.
Illiquid Securities Risk
The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may restrict its ability to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and at a price approximating the value at which the Fund carries the securities on its books.
The Fund may invest in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are securities that are not readily marketable. The prices of such securities may change abruptly and erratically, and investment of the Fund’s assets in illiquid securities may restrict the ability of the Fund to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and at a price approximating the value at which the Fund carries the securities on its books, as well as restrict its ability to take advantage of market opportunities. The risks associated with illiquidity will be particularly
acute in situations in which the Fund’s operations require cash, such as when the Fund repurchases shares or pays dividends or distributions, and could result in the Fund borrowing to meet short-term cash requirements or incurring capital losses on the sale of illiquid investments. Further, companies whose securities are not publicly traded are not subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable if their securities were publicly traded.
Market Discount Risk
The Fund’s common stock may trade at a discount relative to NAV. Common shares of closed-end investment companies, including the Fund, frequently trade at prices lower than their NAV, but in some cases trade above NAV. The provisions of the 1940 Act require, as a condition to the completion of an offering, that the public offering price of the shares of common stock, less the sales load and discounts, must equal or exceed the NAV per share of the Fund’s common stock (calculated within 48 hours of pricing). An investor who buys the Fund’s common stock in an offering at a price that reflects a premium to NAV may experience a decline in the market value of the shares of common stock independent of any change in the NAV. Whether stockholders will realize a gain or loss upon the sale of the Fund’s shares of common stock depends upon whether the market value of the shares at the time of sale is above or below the price the stockholder paid, taking into account transaction costs for the shares, and is not directly dependent upon the Fund’s NAV. Because the market value of the Fund’s shares of common stock will be determined by factors such as the relative demand for and supply of the shares in the market, general market conditions and other factors beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares of common stock will trade at, below or above NAV, or below or above the public offering price for the shares of common stock. Any substantial dispositions or acquisitions of common stock by large shareholders of the Fund could affect the supply or demand for, and possibly the market price of, the common stock. The Fund’s common stock is designed primarily for long-term investors, and you should not purchase shares of common stock if you intend to sell them shortly after purchase.
Non-Diversified Status
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” management investment company under the 1940 Act. This means that the Fund is not subject to limits under the 1940 Act as to the proportion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. As a non-diversified investment company, the Fund may therefore invest its assets in securities of a smaller number of issuers, or may invest a larger portion of its assets in a single issuer than a diversified fund, and, as a result, would be more susceptible than a diversified fund to any single corporate, political, geographic, or regulatory occurrence than would
a fund with a diversified investment portfolio. Although the Fund must comply with certain diversification requirements in order to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Code, the Fund may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than would be the case if it had elected to diversify its holdings sufficiently to be classified as a “diversified” management investment company under the 1940 Act. The Fund, however, intends to comply with the diversification requirements imposed by the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company.
Private Placements and Other Restricted Securities Risk
Private placement and other restricted securities include securities that have been privately placed and are not registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (“1933 Act”), such as unregistered securities eligible for resale without registration pursuant to Rule 144A (“Rule 144A Securities”) and privately placed securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers offered outside of the U.S. without registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation S (“Regulation S Securities”).
Private placements may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market.
Private placement securities typically may be sold only to qualified institutional buyers (or, in the case of the initial sale of certain securities, such as those issued in collateralized debt obligations or collateralized loan obligations, to accredited investors (as defined in Rule 501(a) under the 1933 Act)), or in a privately negotiated transaction or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met pursuant to an exemption from registration. Rule 144A Securities and Regulation S Securities may be freely traded among certain qualified institutional investors, such as the Funds, but their resale in the U.S. is permitted only in limited circumstances.
Private placements typically are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value due to the absence of a trading market.
Private placements and restricted securities may be considered illiquid securities, which could have the effect of increasing the level
of the Fund’s illiquidity. Additionally, a restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid.
Anti-Takeover Charter Provisions
The Fund’s charter and by-laws contain several provisions that may be regarded as “anti-takeover” because they have the effect of maintaining continuity of management.
Foreign Custody
The Fund’s custodian generally holds the Fund’s non-U.S. securities and cash in non-U.S. bank sub-custodians and securities depositories. Regulatory oversight of non-U.S. banks and securities depositories may differ from that in the U.S. Additionally, laws applicable to non-U.S. banks and securities depositories may limit the Fund’s ability to recover its assets in the event the non-U.S. bank, securities depository or issuer of a security held by the Fund goes bankrupt.
Convertible Securities Risk
Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. As with all debt securities, the market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, when the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security exceeds the conversion price, the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis and thus may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in an issuer’s capital structure and consequently entail less risk than the issuer’s common stock. A convertible debt security is not counted as an equity security for purposes of the Fund’s 80% policy.
Country/Regional Focus Risk
Focusing on 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.
Depositary Receipts
Depositary receipts are typically issued by a bank or trust company and represent the ownership of underlying securities that are issued by a foreign company and held by the bank or trust company. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are usually issued by a U.S. bank trust or trust company and traded on a U.S. exchange. Depositary receipts may or may not be jointly sponsored by the underlying issuer. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose information that is, in the United States,
considered material. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding these issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the depositary receipts. Certain depositary receipts are not listed on an exchange and therefore may be considered to be illiquid securities.
Event Risk
Event risk is the risk that a corporate event such as a restructuring, merger, leveraged buyout, takeover, or similar action may cause a decline in market value or credit quality of the issuer’s stocks or bonds due to factors including an unfavorable market response or a resulting increase in the issuer’s debt. Added debt may significantly reduce the credit quality and market value of an issuer’s bonds.
Leverage Risk
The Fund uses leverage as part of its investment strategy through borrowing from a credit facility. The Fund is not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately thereafter the Fund will have an asset coverage of at least 300%. In general, the term “asset coverage” for this purpose means the ratio which the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, bears to the aggregate amount of senior securities representing indebtedness of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may be limited in its ability to declare any cash distribution on its capital stock or purchase its capital stock unless at the time of such declaration or purchase, the Fund has an asset coverage (on its indebtedness) of at least 300% after deducting the amount of such distribution or purchase price, as applicable. Under the 1940 Act, certain short-term borrowings (such as for cash management purposes) are not subject to these limitations if (i) repaid within 60 days, (ii) not extended or renewed and (iii) not in excess of 5% of the total assets of the Fund. The Fund may also enter into certain transactions that create leverage, such as reverse repurchase agreements, which are not subject to the asset coverage requirements set out above.
The Fund may engage in leverage through the issuance of preferred stock. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue preferred stock unless immediately after such issuance the Fund will have an asset coverage of at least 200%. In general, the term “asset coverage” for this purpose means the ratio the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, bears to the aggregate amount of senior securities representing indebtedness of the Fund plus the aggregate of the involuntary liquidation preference of the preferred stock. The involuntary liquidation preference refers to the amount to which the preferred stock would be entitled on the involuntary liquidation of the Fund in preference to a security junior to it. Leverage involves certain additional risks, including that the cost of leverage may exceed the return earned by the Fund on the proceeds of such leverage. In the
event of a general market decline in the value of assets in which the Fund invests, the effect of that decline will be magnified in the Fund because of the additional assets purchased with the proceeds of the leverage. In addition, funds borrowed pursuant a credit facility may constitute a substantial lien and burden by reason of their prior claim against the income of the Fund and against the net assets of the Fund in liquidation. In the event of an event of default under a loan facility, lenders may have the right to cause a liquidation of the collateral (i.e., sell portfolio securities and other assets of the Fund) and, if any such default is not cured, the lenders may be able to control the liquidation as well. A leverage facility agreement may include covenants that impose on the Fund asset coverage requirements, Fund composition requirements and limits on certain investments, such as illiquid investments or derivatives, which are more stringent than those imposed on the Fund by the 1940 Act. The covenants or guidelines could impede the Fund’s Investment Adviser from fully managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies; however, because the Fund’s use of leverage is expected to be relatively modest and the Fund generally is not expected to engage in derivatives transactions, the Fund’s Investment Adviser currently does not believe that such restrictions would significantly impact its management of the Fund.
Mid-Cap Securities Risk
Securities of medium-sized companies tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities of larger companies. Compared to larger companies, mid-cap securities tend to have analyst coverage by fewer Wall Street firms and may trade at prices that reflect incomplete or inaccurate information. Medium-sized companies may have a shorter history of operations, less access to financing and a less diversified product line and be more susceptible to market pressures and therefore have more volatile prices and company performance than larger companies. During some periods, securities of medium-sized companies, as an asset class, have underperformed the securities of larger companies.
Preferred Stock
The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of stock that often pays dividends at a specified rate and has preference over common stock in dividend payments and liquidation of assets. Preferred stock may be convertible into common stock.
Sector Risk
To the extent that the 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.
Financials Sector Risk. To the extent that the financials sector continues to represent a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, factors impacting this sector. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The impact of more stringent capital requirements, recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or recent or future regulation of the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyber attacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have caused significant losses.
Information Technology Sector Risk. To the extent that the information technology sector represents a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, factors impacting this sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on their profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Small-Cap Securities Risk
In general, securities of small-cap companies trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater or more unpredictable price changes than larger cap securities or the market overall. Small-cap companies may have limited product lines or markets, be less financially secure than larger companies, or depend on a small number of key personnel. If adverse developments occur, such as due to management changes or product failure, the Fund’s investment in a small-cap company may lose substantial value. Investing in small-cap companies requires a longer term investment view and may not be appropriate for all investors.
Valuation Risk
The price the 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 the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Pricing services that value fixed-income securities generally utilize a range of market-based and security-specific inputs and assumptions, as well as considerations about general market conditions, to establish a price. Pricing services generally value fixed- income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size and the strategies employed by the Adviser 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 lots. The 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.
In addition, since foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders are not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares on the NYSE American.
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 Investment Adviser and/or its 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.
       
Effects of Leverage [Text Block]  
Effects of Leverage
The following table isfurnished in response to requirements of the SEC. It is designed to, among other things, illustrate the effects of leverage through the use of senior securities, as that term is defined under Section 18 of the 1940Act, on Common Share total return, assuming investment portfolio total returns (consisting of income and changes in the value of investments held in a Fund’s portfolio) of -10%, -5%, 0%, 5% and 10%. The tablebelow reflects the Fund’s continued use of the revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2022 as a percentage of total managed assets (including assets attributable to such leverage) and the annual returnthat the Fund’s portfolio must experience (net of expenses) in order to cover such costs. The information below does not reflect the Fund’s use of certain other forms of economic leverage achieved throughthe use of other instruments or transactions not considered to be senior securities under the 1940 Act, such as covered reverse repurchase agreements, covered credit default swaps or other derivative instruments, ifany.
The assumed investment portfolio returns in the table below are hypothetical figures and are not necessarily indicative of the investment portfolio returns experienced or expected to be
experienced by the Fund. Your actual returnsmay be greater or less than those appearing below. In addition, actual borrowing expenses associated with borrowings used by the Fund may vary frequently and may be significantly higher or lower than the rate used forthe example below.
Assumed
annual
returns on
the Fund's
portfolio
(net of
expenses)
(10)% (5)% 0% 5% 10%
Corresponding
return of
shareholder
(13.0%) (7.1%) (1.1%) 4.8% 10.8%
Based on estimated indebtedness of $55,000,000 (representing approximately 15.8% of the Fund’s Managed Assets as of December 31, 2021), and an average annual interest rate of 5.93% (effective interest rate as of December 31,2022), the Fund’s investment portfolio at fair value would have to produce an annual return of approximately 0.9% to cover annual interest payments on the estimated debt.
Share total return iscomposed of two elements – the distributions paid by the Fund to holders of shares (the amount of which is largely determined by the net investment income of the Fund after paying dividend payments on anypreferred shares issued by the Fund and expenses on any forms of leverage outstanding) and gains or losses on the value of the securities and other instruments the Fund owns. As required by SEC rules, the tableassumes that the Fund is more likely to suffer capital losses than to enjoy capital appreciation. For example, to assume a total return of 0%, the Fund must assume that the income it receives on its investments isentirely offset by losses in the value of those investments. This table reflects hypothetical performance of the Fund’s portfolio and not the actual performance of the Fund’s shares, the value of which isdetermined by market forces and other factors.
Should the Fund elect to addadditional leverage to its portfolio, any benefits of such additional leverage cannot be fully achieved until the proceeds resulting from the use of such leverage have been received by the Fund and invested inaccordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies. As noted above, the Fund’s willingness to use additional leverage, and the extent to which leverage is used at any time, will depend on manyfactors, including, among other things, the Adviser’s assessment of the yield curve environment, interest rate trends, market conditions and other factors.
The Fund intends to distribute tostockholders substantially all of its net investment income and to distribute any net realized capital gains at least annually. Net investment income for this purpose is income other than net realized long-term andshort-term capital gains net of expenses. Pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment and Optional Cash Purchase Plan (the “Plan”), stockholders whose shares of common stock are registered in their own nameswill be deemed to have elected to have all distributions automatically reinvested by Computershare Trust Company N.A. (the “Plan Agent”) in the Fund shares pursuant to the Plan, unless such stockholderselect to receive distributions in cash. Stockholders who elect to receive distributions in cash will receive such distributions paid by check in U.S. Dollars mailed directly to the stockholder by the Plan Agent, asdividend paying agent. In the case of stockholders such as banks, brokers or nominees that hold shares for others who are beneficial owners, the Plan Agent will administer the Plan on the basis of the number of sharescertified from time to time by the stockholders as representing the total amount registered in such stockholders’ names and held for the account of beneficial owners that have not elected to receivedistributions in cash. Investors that own shares registered in the name of a bank, broker or other nominee should consult with such nominee as to participation in the Plan through such nominee and may be required tohave their shares registered in their own names in order to participate in the Plan. Please note that the Fund does not issue certificates so all shares will be registered in book entry form. The Plan Agent serves asagent for the stockholders in administering the Plan. If the Directors of the Fund declare an income dividend or a capital gains distribution payable either in the Fund’s common stock or in cash, nonparticipantsin the Plan will receive cash and participants in the Plan will receive common stock, to be issued by the Fund or purchased by the Plan Agent in the open market, as provided below. If the market price per share (plusexpected per share fees) on the valuation date equals or exceeds NAV per share on that date, the Fund will issue new shares to participants at NAV; provided, however, that if the NAV is less than 95% of the marketprice on the valuation date, then such shares will be issued at 95% of the market price. The valuation date will be the payable date for such distribution or dividend or, if that date is not a trading day on the NewYork Stock Exchange, the immediately preceding trading date. If NAV exceeds the market price of Fund shares at such time, or if the Fund should declare an income dividend or capital gains distribution payable only incash, the Plan Agent will, as agent for the participants, buy Fund shares in the open market, on the New York Stock Exchange or elsewhere, for the participants’ accounts on, or shortly after, the payment date.If, before the Plan Agent has completed its purchases, the market price exceeds the NAV of a Fund share, the average per share purchase price paid by the Plan Agent may exceed the NAV of the Fund’s shares,resulting in the acquisition of fewer shares than if the distribution had been paid in shares issued by the Fund on the
dividend payment date. Because of theforegoing difficulty with respect to open-market purchases, the Plan provides that if the Plan Agent is unable to invest the full dividend amount in open-market purchases during the purchase period or if the marketdiscount shifts to a market premium during the purchase period, the Plan Agent will cease making open-market purchases and will receive the uninvested portion of the dividend amount in newly issued shares at the closeof business on the last purchase date.
Participants have the optionof making additional cash payments of a minimum of $50 per investment (by check, one-time online bank debit or recurring automatic monthly ACH debit) to the Plan Agent for investment in the Fund’s common stock,with an annual maximum contribution of $250,000. The Plan Agent will wait up to three business days after receipt of a check or electronic funds transfer to ensure it receives good funds. Following confirmation ofreceipt of good funds, the Plan Agent will use all such funds received from participants to purchase Fund shares in the open market on the 25th day of each month or the next trading day if the 25th is not a tradingday.
If the participant sets uprecurring automatic monthly ACH debits, funds will be withdrawn from his or her U.S. bank account on the 20th of each month or the next business day if the 20th is not a banking business day and invested on the nextinvestment date. The Plan Agent maintains all stockholder accounts in the Plan and furnishes written confirmations of all transactions in an account, including information needed by stockholders for personal and taxrecords. Shares in the account of each Plan participant will be held by the Plan Agent in the name of the participant, and each stockholder’s proxy will include those shares purchased pursuant to the Plan. Therewill be no brokerage charges with respect to common shares issued directly by the Fund. However, each participant will pay a per share fee of $0.02 incurred with respect to the Plan Agent’s open market purchasesin connection with the reinvestment of dividends, capital gains distributions and voluntary cash payments made by the participant. Per share fees include any applicable brokerage commissions the Plan Agent is requiredto pay.
Participants also have theoption of selling their shares through the Plan. The Plan supports two types of sales orders. Batch order sales are submitted on each market day and will be grouped with other sale requests to be sold. The price willbe the average sale price obtained by Computershare’s broker, net of fees, for each batch order and will be sold generally within 2 business days of the request during regular open market hours. Please note thatall written sales requests are always processed by Batch Order. ($10 and $0.12 per share). Market Order sales will sell at the next available trade. The shares are sold real time when they hit the market, however anavailable trade must be presented to complete this transaction. Market Order sales may only
be requested by phone at 1-800-647-0584 orusing Investor Center through www.computershare.com/buyaberdeen. ($25 and $0.12 per share).
The receipt of dividends anddistributions under the Plan will not relieve participants of any income tax that may be payable on such dividends or distributions. The Fund or the Plan Agent may terminate the Plan as applied to any voluntary cashpayments made and any dividend or distribution paid subsequent to notice of the termination sent to members of the Plan at least 30 days prior to the record date for such dividend or distribution. The Plan also may beamended by
the Fund or the Plan Agent, but (except whennecessary or appropriate to comply with applicable law or the rules or policies of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other regulatory authority) only by mailing a written notice at least 30 days prior tothe effective date to the participants in the Plan. All correspondence concerning the Plan should be directed to the Plan Agent by phone at 1-800-647-0584, using Investor Center through www.computershare.com/buyaberdeen or in writing to Computershare Trust Company N.A., P.O. Box 43006, Providence, RI 02940-3078.
       
Annual Interest Rate [Percent] 5.93%          
Effects of Leverage [Table Text Block]  
Assumed
annual
returns on
the Fund's
portfolio
(net of
expenses)
(10)% (5)% 0% 5% 10%
Corresponding
return of
shareholder
(13.0%) (7.1%) (1.1%) 4.8% 10.8%
       
Return at Minus Ten [Percent]   (13.00%)        
Return at Minus Five [Percent]   (7.10%)        
Return at Zero [Percent]   (1.10%)        
Return at Plus Five [Percent]   4.80%        
Return at Plus Ten [Percent]   10.80%        
Lowest Price or Bid $ 4.33          
Highest Price or Bid 8.18          
Lowest Price or Bid, NAV 5.08          
Highest Price or Bid, NAV $ 8.98          
Highest Price or Bid, Premium (Discount) to NAV [Percent] (7.00%)          
Lowest Price or Bid, Premium (Discount) to NAV [Percent] (16.00%)          
Latest Share Price $ 5.15          
Latest Premium (Discount) to NAV [Percent] (10.90%)          
Latest NAV $ 5.78          
Capital Stock, Long-Term Debt, and Other Securities [Abstract]            
Security Title [Text Block]   common stock        
Outstanding Security, Held [Shares]   50,751,778        
General Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
General
The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end investment company designed primarily as a long-term investment and not as a trading tool. An investment in the Fund’s shares may be speculative and involves a high degree of risk. The Fund should not be considered a complete investment program. Due to the uncertainty in all investments, there can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
       
Investment And Market Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Investment and Market Risk
Deteriorating market conditions might cause a general weakness in the market that reduces the prices of securities in that market. Developments in the stock market could also adversely affect the Fund by reducing the relative attractiveness of stocks as an
investment. Also, to the extent that the Fund emphasizes stocks from any given industry, it could be hurt if that industry does not do well.
Additionally, the Fund could lose value if the individual stocks in which it maintains long positions and/or the overall stock markets on which the stocks trade decline in price. Stocks and stock markets may experience short-term volatility (price fluctuation) as well as extended periods of price decline or increase. Individual stocks are affected by many factors, including:
corporate earnings;
production;
management;
sales; and
market trends, including investor demand for a particular type of stock, such as growth or value stocks, small or large stocks, or stocks within a particular industry.
Stock markets are affected by numerous factors, including interest rates, the outlook for corporate profits, the health of the national and world economies, national and world social and political events, and the fluctuation of other stock market around the world.
       
Market Events Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Market Events 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 the Fund’s investments. 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. The impact of these changes on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time. In addition, economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not the 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 the 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.
       
Foreign Securities Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Foreign Securities Risk
Investing in foreign securities involves certain special considerations that are not typically associated with investments in the securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign issuers are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and may have policies that are not comparable to those of domestic issuers. As a result, there may be less information available about foreign issuers than about domestic issuers. Securities of some foreign issuers may be less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable domestic issuers. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of securities markets, brokers and issuers than in the United States. In addition, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, political and social instability, or diplomatic developments, which could affect the value of investments in those countries. The costs of investing in foreign countries frequently are higher than the costs of investing in the United States. Although the investment adviser endeavors to achieve the most favorable execution costs in portfolio transactions, trading costs in non-U.S. securities markets are generally higher than trading costs in the United States.
Investments in securities of foreign issuers often will be denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, the value of the Fund’s assets, as measured in U.S. dollars, may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates and in exchange control regulations. The Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. See “Currency Exchange Rate Fluctuations.”
The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories approved by State Street Bank and Trust Company, the Fund’s Foreign Custody Manager (as that term is defined in Rule 17f-5 under the 1940 Act). Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the
foreign custody business. There may be limited or no regulatory oversight over their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on 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.
Certain foreign governments levy withholding or other taxes on dividend and interest income. Although in some countries a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion of foreign withholding taxes will reduce the income received from investments in such countries.
From time to time, the Fund may have invested in certain sovereign debt obligations that are issued by, or certain companies that operate in or have dealings with, countries that become subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism.
Investments in such countries may be adversely affected because, for example, the credit rating of the sovereign debt security may be lowered due to the country’s instability or unreliability or the company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. As an investor in such companies, the Fund will be indirectly subject to those risks
       
Developing And Emerging Markets Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Developing and Emerging Markets Risk
Investing in the securities of issuers located in developing and emerging market countries (and to a certain extent non-U.S. developed market countries) involves special considerations not typically associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers and other developed market issuers, including heightened risks of expropriation and/or nationalization, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on transfers of assets, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards, difficulties in dividend withholding reclaims procedures, less publicly available financial and other information and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.
The economies of individual developing and emerging market countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, currency depreciation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. Governments in emerging markets countries are often less stable and more likely to take extra-legal
action with respect to companies, industries, assets, or foreign ownership than those in more developed markets. Governments of many developing and emerging market countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In some cases, the government owns or controls many companies, including some of the largest in the country.
Accordingly, government actions could have a significant effect on economic conditions in a developing or emerging market country and on market conditions, prices and yields of securities in the Fund’s portfolio. Moreover, the economies of developing and emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. Many developing and emerging market economies are considered to be more politically volatile than the developed markets. Investments in securities of issuers in countries other than the U.S. may involve greater political risk, including in some countries, the possibility of nationalization of assets, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, restrictions on repatriation, and the establishment of foreign exchange controls, political changes, government regulation, overburdened and obsolete or unseasoned financial systems, environmental problems, less developed legal systems, economic or social instability or diplomatic developments (including war) which could affect adversely the economies of such countries or the value of the Fund’s investments in those countries. Central authorities also tend to exercise a high degree of control over the economies and in many cases have ownership over core productive assets.
The legal, accounting and financial reporting systems in many developing and emerging market countries are less developed than those in more developed countries, which may reduce the scope or quality of financial information available to investors. Furthermore, the administration of laws and regulations often may be subject to considerable discretion. Non-U.S. markets may offer less protection to investors than U.S. or other developed markets. It also may be difficult for investors to bring litigation or to obtain and enforce a judgment against issues in emerging markets or for U.S. regulators to bring enforcement actions against such issuers.
Due to their strong reliance on international trade, most developing and emerging market economies tend to be sensitive both to economic changes in their own region and to changes affecting their major trading partners. These include changes in growth, inflation, foreign exchange rates, current account positions, government policies, taxation and tariffs. Additionally, the economies of some emerging markets may be particularly exposed to or affected by a
certain industry or sector, and therefore issuers and/or securities of such emerging markets may be more affected by the performance of such industries or sectors. 
China Securities. In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities Risk” and “Developing and Emerging Markets Risk,” investing in certain countries, such as China, including Hong Kong, may present additional risks. Exposure to China may be gained through investments in securities that are economically tied to China or, in some cases, through direct investment in Chinese securities. The Fund invests in Chinese domestic securities markets primarily via Stock Connect Programs (defined below). Other than risks involved in investments on an international basis and in emerging markets, as well as other risks of investments generally as described within this section which are applicable to investments in China, investors should also note the additional specific risks below.
Chinese authorities may intervene in the China securities market and halt or suspend trading of securities for short or even longer periods of time. The China securities market has experienced considerable volatility and been subject to relatively frequent and extensive trading halts and suspensions. These trading halts and suspensions have, among other things, contributed to uncertainty in the markets and reduced the liquidity of the securities subject to such trading halts and suspensions, which could include securities held by the Fund.
In recent years, non-Chinese investors, such as the Fund, has been permitted to make investments usually only available to foreign investors through a quota license or by purchasing from specified brokers in Shanghai or other locations that have stock connect programs. China Stock Exchange-listed securities are available via brokers in Hong Kong through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program, through the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect Program, and may be available in the future through additional stock connect programs as they are developed in different locations (collectively, “Stock Connect Programs”). Investing in China A shares through Stock Connect Programs may be limited by quota and repatriation restrictions. Additionally, investments through Stock Connect Programs are subject to various risks, including liquidity risk, currency risk, legal and regulatory uncertainty risk, execution risk, operational risk, tax risk, counterparty risk and credit risk.
The Fund may also gain exposure to companies based or operated in China by investing through legal structures known as variable interest entities (VIEs). Instead of directly owning the equity securities of a Chinese company, a VIE enters into service and other contracts with the Chinese company. Although the VIE has no equity ownership of the Chinese company, the contractual arrangements permit the VIE to consolidate the Chinese company into its financial statements. The Chinese government could intervene with respect to VIEs, which
could significantly affect the Chinese company’s performance and the enforceability of the VIE’s contractual arrangement with the Chinese company.
Frontier Market Securities. The risks associated with investments in frontier market countries include all the risks described for investments in the sections entitled “Foreign Securities” and “Emerging Markets Securities,” although the risks are magnified for frontier market countries. Because frontier markets are among the smallest, least mature and least liquid of the emerging markets, investments in frontier markets generally are subject to a greater risk of loss than are investments in developed markets or traditional emerging markets. Frontier market countries have smaller economies, less developed capital markets, greater market volatility, lower trading volume, more political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments than are typically found in more developed markets.
       
Equity Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Equity Risk
The value of equity securities, including common stock, preferred stock and convertible stock, will fluctuate in response to factors affecting the particular company, as well as broader market and economic conditions. Moreover, in the event of the company’s bankruptcy, claims of certain creditors, including bondholders, will have priority over claims of common stock holders and are likely to have varying types of priority over holders of preferred and convertible stock.
As an investment company that holds primarily common stocks, the Fund’s portfolio is subject to the possibility that common stock prices will decline over short or even extended periods. The Fund may remain substantially fully invested during periods when stock prices generally rise and also during periods when they generally decline. Moreover, as a holder of common stock, the Fund’s rights to the assets of the companies in which it invests will be subordinated to such companies’ holders of preferred stock and debt in the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or similar proceeding. Accordingly, if such an event were to occur to such a company in which the Fund invests, the Fund would be entitled to such a company’s assets only after such company’s preferred stockholders and debt holders have been paid. Risks are inherent in investments in equities, and Fund stockholders should be able to tolerate significant fluctuations in the value of their investment in the Fund.
       
Inflation Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Inflation Risk
Inflation risk is the risk that the purchasing power of assets or income from investment will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. To the extent that inflation occurs, it will reduce the real value of dividends paid by the Fund and the Fund’s common
stock. Most emerging market countries, in particular, have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high and volatile, rates of inflation. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had and may continue to have very negative effects on economies and securities markets globally. In an attempt to control inflation, wage and price controls have been imposed at times in certain countries.
       
Management Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Management Risk
The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Fund's successful pursuit of its investment objective depends upon the Investment Adviser's ability to find and exploit market inefficiencies with respect to undervalued securities and identify companies experiencing a change in dividend policy, including the announcement of restructuring initiatives or special dividends. Such situations occur infrequently and sporadically and may be difficult to predict, and may not result in a favorable pricing opportunity that allows the Investment Adviser to fulfill the Fund's investment objective. The Investment Adviser's security selections and other investment decisions might produce losses or cause the Fund to underperform when compared to other funds with similar investment goals. If one or more key individuals leave the employ of the Investment Adviser, the Investment Adviser may not be able to hire qualified replacements, or may require an extended time to do so. This could prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.
       
Issuer Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Issuer Risk
The value of an issuer's securities that are held in the Fund's portfolio may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services.
       
Currency Exchange Rate Fluctuations [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Currency Exchange Rate Fluctuations
The Fund’s securities will be subject to the risk that some holdings may lose value because of a decline in the value of the foreign currency or adverse political or economic events in such foreign country or elsewhere. Currency exchange rates can fluctuate significantly over short periods and can be subject to unpredictable changes based on a variety of factors, including political developments and currency controls by foreign governments. The Fund will normally hold many of its assets in foreign currencies. Accordingly, a change in the value of a foreign currency in which the Fund hold securities against the U.S. dollar will generally result in a change in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets. Such a change may thus decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
The currencies of developing and emerging markets, in particular, have experienced periods of steady declines or even sudden devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar. Some developing and emerging market currencies may not be internationally traded or may
be subject to strict controls by local governments, resulting in undervalued or overvalued currencies. Some developing and emerging markets have experienced balance of payment deficits and shortages in foreign exchange reserves. Governments have responded by restricting currency conversions. Future restrictive exchange controls could prevent or restrict a company’s ability to make dividend or interest payments in the original currency of an obligation (often U.S. dollars). Even though the currencies of some developing and emerging markets may be convertible into U.S. dollars, the conversion rates may be artificial to their actual market values.
In addition, although much of the Fund’s income will be received or realized in foreign currencies, the Fund will be required to compute and distribute its income in U.S. dollars. Therefore, for example, if the exchange rate for the foreign currency declines after the Fund’s income has been accrued and translated in U.S. dollars, but before the income has been received or converted into U.S. dollars, the Fund could be required to liquidate portfolio securities to make distributions. Similarly, if the exchange rate declines between the time the Fund  incurs expenses in U.S. dollars and the time such expenses are paid, the amount of the foreign currency required to be converted into U.S. dollars in order to pay those expenses will be greater than the foreign currency equivalent of those expenses at the time they were incurred.
Currency exchange rate fluctuations can decrease or eliminate income available for distribution or, conversely, increase income available for distribution. For example, in some situations, if certain currency exchange losses exceed net investment income for a taxable year, the Fund would not be able to make ordinary income distributions, and all or a portion of distributions made before the losses were realized but in the same taxable year would be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes, thus reducing shareholders’ cost basis in their Fund shares, or as a capital gain distribution, rather than as an ordinary income dividend.
       
Illiquid Securities Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Illiquid Securities Risk
The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may restrict its ability to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and at a price approximating the value at which the Fund carries the securities on its books.
The Fund may invest in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are securities that are not readily marketable. The prices of such securities may change abruptly and erratically, and investment of the Fund’s assets in illiquid securities may restrict the ability of the Fund to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and at a price approximating the value at which the Fund carries the securities on its books, as well as restrict its ability to take advantage of market opportunities. The risks associated with illiquidity will be particularly
acute in situations in which the Fund’s operations require cash, such as when the Fund repurchases shares or pays dividends or distributions, and could result in the Fund borrowing to meet short-term cash requirements or incurring capital losses on the sale of illiquid investments. Further, companies whose securities are not publicly traded are not subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable if their securities were publicly traded.
       
Market Discount Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Market Discount Risk
The Fund’s common stock may trade at a discount relative to NAV. Common shares of closed-end investment companies, including the Fund, frequently trade at prices lower than their NAV, but in some cases trade above NAV. The provisions of the 1940 Act require, as a condition to the completion of an offering, that the public offering price of the shares of common stock, less the sales load and discounts, must equal or exceed the NAV per share of the Fund’s common stock (calculated within 48 hours of pricing). An investor who buys the Fund’s common stock in an offering at a price that reflects a premium to NAV may experience a decline in the market value of the shares of common stock independent of any change in the NAV. Whether stockholders will realize a gain or loss upon the sale of the Fund’s shares of common stock depends upon whether the market value of the shares at the time of sale is above or below the price the stockholder paid, taking into account transaction costs for the shares, and is not directly dependent upon the Fund’s NAV. Because the market value of the Fund’s shares of common stock will be determined by factors such as the relative demand for and supply of the shares in the market, general market conditions and other factors beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares of common stock will trade at, below or above NAV, or below or above the public offering price for the shares of common stock. Any substantial dispositions or acquisitions of common stock by large shareholders of the Fund could affect the supply or demand for, and possibly the market price of, the common stock. The Fund’s common stock is designed primarily for long-term investors, and you should not purchase shares of common stock if you intend to sell them shortly after purchase.
       
Non Diversified Status [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Non-Diversified Status
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” management investment company under the 1940 Act. This means that the Fund is not subject to limits under the 1940 Act as to the proportion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. As a non-diversified investment company, the Fund may therefore invest its assets in securities of a smaller number of issuers, or may invest a larger portion of its assets in a single issuer than a diversified fund, and, as a result, would be more susceptible than a diversified fund to any single corporate, political, geographic, or regulatory occurrence than would
a fund with a diversified investment portfolio. Although the Fund must comply with certain diversification requirements in order to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Code, the Fund may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than would be the case if it had elected to diversify its holdings sufficiently to be classified as a “diversified” management investment company under the 1940 Act. The Fund, however, intends to comply with the diversification requirements imposed by the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company.
       
Private Placements and Other Restricted Securities Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Private Placements and Other Restricted Securities Risk
Private placement and other restricted securities include securities that have been privately placed and are not registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (“1933 Act”), such as unregistered securities eligible for resale without registration pursuant to Rule 144A (“Rule 144A Securities”) and privately placed securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers offered outside of the U.S. without registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation S (“Regulation S Securities”).
Private placements may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market.
Private placement securities typically may be sold only to qualified institutional buyers (or, in the case of the initial sale of certain securities, such as those issued in collateralized debt obligations or collateralized loan obligations, to accredited investors (as defined in Rule 501(a) under the 1933 Act)), or in a privately negotiated transaction or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met pursuant to an exemption from registration. Rule 144A Securities and Regulation S Securities may be freely traded among certain qualified institutional investors, such as the Funds, but their resale in the U.S. is permitted only in limited circumstances.
Private placements typically are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value due to the absence of a trading market.
Private placements and restricted securities may be considered illiquid securities, which could have the effect of increasing the level
of the Fund’s illiquidity. Additionally, a restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid.
       
Anti Takeover Charter Provisions [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Anti-Takeover Charter Provisions
The Fund’s charter and by-laws contain several provisions that may be regarded as “anti-takeover” because they have the effect of maintaining continuity of management.
       
Foreign Custody [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Foreign Custody
The Fund’s custodian generally holds the Fund’s non-U.S. securities and cash in non-U.S. bank sub-custodians and securities depositories. Regulatory oversight of non-U.S. banks and securities depositories may differ from that in the U.S. Additionally, laws applicable to non-U.S. banks and securities depositories may limit the Fund’s ability to recover its assets in the event the non-U.S. bank, securities depository or issuer of a security held by the Fund goes bankrupt.
       
Convertible Securities Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Convertible Securities Risk
Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. As with all debt securities, the market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, when the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security exceeds the conversion price, the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis and thus may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in an issuer’s capital structure and consequently entail less risk than the issuer’s common stock. A convertible debt security is not counted as an equity security for purposes of the Fund’s 80% policy.
       
Country Or Regional Focus Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Country/Regional Focus Risk
Focusing on 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.
       
Depositary Receipts [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Depositary Receipts
Depositary receipts are typically issued by a bank or trust company and represent the ownership of underlying securities that are issued by a foreign company and held by the bank or trust company. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are usually issued by a U.S. bank trust or trust company and traded on a U.S. exchange. Depositary receipts may or may not be jointly sponsored by the underlying issuer. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose information that is, in the United States,
considered material. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding these issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the depositary receipts. Certain depositary receipts are not listed on an exchange and therefore may be considered to be illiquid securities.
       
Event Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Event Risk
Event risk is the risk that a corporate event such as a restructuring, merger, leveraged buyout, takeover, or similar action may cause a decline in market value or credit quality of the issuer’s stocks or bonds due to factors including an unfavorable market response or a resulting increase in the issuer’s debt. Added debt may significantly reduce the credit quality and market value of an issuer’s bonds.
       
Leverage Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Leverage Risk
The Fund uses leverage as part of its investment strategy through borrowing from a credit facility. The Fund is not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately thereafter the Fund will have an asset coverage of at least 300%. In general, the term “asset coverage” for this purpose means the ratio which the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, bears to the aggregate amount of senior securities representing indebtedness of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may be limited in its ability to declare any cash distribution on its capital stock or purchase its capital stock unless at the time of such declaration or purchase, the Fund has an asset coverage (on its indebtedness) of at least 300% after deducting the amount of such distribution or purchase price, as applicable. Under the 1940 Act, certain short-term borrowings (such as for cash management purposes) are not subject to these limitations if (i) repaid within 60 days, (ii) not extended or renewed and (iii) not in excess of 5% of the total assets of the Fund. The Fund may also enter into certain transactions that create leverage, such as reverse repurchase agreements, which are not subject to the asset coverage requirements set out above.
The Fund may engage in leverage through the issuance of preferred stock. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue preferred stock unless immediately after such issuance the Fund will have an asset coverage of at least 200%. In general, the term “asset coverage” for this purpose means the ratio the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, bears to the aggregate amount of senior securities representing indebtedness of the Fund plus the aggregate of the involuntary liquidation preference of the preferred stock. The involuntary liquidation preference refers to the amount to which the preferred stock would be entitled on the involuntary liquidation of the Fund in preference to a security junior to it. Leverage involves certain additional risks, including that the cost of leverage may exceed the return earned by the Fund on the proceeds of such leverage. In the
event of a general market decline in the value of assets in which the Fund invests, the effect of that decline will be magnified in the Fund because of the additional assets purchased with the proceeds of the leverage. In addition, funds borrowed pursuant a credit facility may constitute a substantial lien and burden by reason of their prior claim against the income of the Fund and against the net assets of the Fund in liquidation. In the event of an event of default under a loan facility, lenders may have the right to cause a liquidation of the collateral (i.e., sell portfolio securities and other assets of the Fund) and, if any such default is not cured, the lenders may be able to control the liquidation as well. A leverage facility agreement may include covenants that impose on the Fund asset coverage requirements, Fund composition requirements and limits on certain investments, such as illiquid investments or derivatives, which are more stringent than those imposed on the Fund by the 1940 Act. The covenants or guidelines could impede the Fund’s Investment Adviser from fully managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies; however, because the Fund’s use of leverage is expected to be relatively modest and the Fund generally is not expected to engage in derivatives transactions, the Fund’s Investment Adviser currently does not believe that such restrictions would significantly impact its management of the Fund.
       
Mid Cap Securities Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Mid-Cap Securities Risk
Securities of medium-sized companies tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities of larger companies. Compared to larger companies, mid-cap securities tend to have analyst coverage by fewer Wall Street firms and may trade at prices that reflect incomplete or inaccurate information. Medium-sized companies may have a shorter history of operations, less access to financing and a less diversified product line and be more susceptible to market pressures and therefore have more volatile prices and company performance than larger companies. During some periods, securities of medium-sized companies, as an asset class, have underperformed the securities of larger companies.
       
Preferred Stock Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Preferred Stock
The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of stock that often pays dividends at a specified rate and has preference over common stock in dividend payments and liquidation of assets. Preferred stock may be convertible into common stock.
       
Sector Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Sector Risk
To the extent that the 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.
Financials Sector Risk. To the extent that the financials sector continues to represent a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, factors impacting this sector. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The impact of more stringent capital requirements, recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or recent or future regulation of the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyber attacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have caused significant losses.
Information Technology Sector Risk. To the extent that the information technology sector represents a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, factors impacting this sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on their profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
       
Small Cap Securities Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Small-Cap Securities Risk
In general, securities of small-cap companies trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater or more unpredictable price changes than larger cap securities or the market overall. Small-cap companies may have limited product lines or markets, be less financially secure than larger companies, or depend on a small number of key personnel. If adverse developments occur, such as due to management changes or product failure, the Fund’s investment in a small-cap company may lose substantial value. Investing in small-cap companies requires a longer term investment view and may not be appropriate for all investors.
       
Valuation Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
Valuation Risk
The price the 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 the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Pricing services that value fixed-income securities generally utilize a range of market-based and security-specific inputs and assumptions, as well as considerations about general market conditions, to establish a price. Pricing services generally value fixed- income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size and the strategies employed by the Adviser 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 lots. The 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.
In addition, since foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders are not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares on the NYSE American.
       
Cybersecurity Risk [Member]            
General Description of Registrant [Abstract]            
Risk [Text Block]  
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 Investment Adviser and/or its 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.