UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-CSR
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Investment Company Act file number: | 811-08266 | |
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter: | The India Fund, Inc. | |
Address of principal executive offices: | 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor | |
Philadelphia, PA 19103 | ||
Name and address of agent for service: | Ms. Andrea Melia | |
Aberdeen Asset Management Inc. 1735 Market Street 32nd Floor | ||
Philadelphia, PA 19103 | ||
Registrants telephone number, including area code: | 800-522-5465 | |
Date of fiscal year end: | December 31 | |
Date of reporting period: | December 31, 2018 |
Item 1 - | Reports to Stockholders. |
The Report to Shareholders is attached herewith.
Managed Distribution Policy (unaudited)
The Board of Directors of The India Fund, Inc. (the Fund) has authorized a managed distribution policy (MDP) of paying quarterly distributions at an annual rate, set once a year, that is a percentage of the average daily NAV for the previous three months as of the month-end prior to declaration. With each distribution, the Fund will issue a notice to shareholders and an accompanying press release which will provide detailed information regarding the amount and composition of the distribution and other information required by the Funds MDP exemptive order. The Funds Board of Directors may amend or terminate the MDP at any time without prior notice to shareholders; however, at this time, there are no reasonably foreseeable circumstances that might cause the termination of the MDP. You should not draw any conclusions about the Funds investment performance from the amount of distributions or from the terms of the Funds MDP.
Distribution Disclosure Classification (unaudited)
The Funds policy is to provide investors with a stable distribution rate. Each quarterly distribution will be paid out of current income, supplemented by realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, paid-in capital.
The Fund is subject to U.S. corporate, tax and securities laws. Under U.S. tax rules, the amount applicable to the Fund and character of distributable income for each fiscal period depends on the actual exchange rates during the entire year between the U.S. Dollar and the currencies in which Fund assets are denominated and on the aggregate gains and losses realized by the Fund during the entire year.
Therefore, the exact amount of distributable income for each fiscal year can only be determined as of the end of the Funds fiscal year, December 31, 2018. Under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), the Fund is required to indicate the sources of certain distributions to shareholders. The estimated distribution composition may vary from quarter to quarter because it may be materially impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and fluctuations in the value of the currencies in which Fund assets are denominated.
Based on generally accepted accounting principles, the Fund estimates the distributions for the fiscal year commenced January 1, 2018 through the distribution paid on January 10, 2019 consisted of 17% net investment income and 83% net realized gains.
In January 2019, a Form 1099-DIV was sent to shareholders, which stated the amount and composition of distributions and provided information with respect to their appropriate tax treatment for the 2018 calendar year.
Letter to Shareholders (unaudited)
The India Fund, Inc.
1
1 | The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) India Index is designed to measure the performance of the large and mid cap segments of the Indian market. With 78 constituents, the index covers approximately 85% of the Indian equity universe. Indexes are unmanaged and have been provided for comparison purposes only. No fees or expenses are reflected. You cannot invest directly in an index. Index performance is not an indication of the performance of the Fund itself. For complete fund performance, please visit http://www.aberdeenifn.com |
Letter to Shareholders (unaudited) (continued)
The India Fund, Inc.
2
Letter to Shareholders (unaudited) (concluded)
All amounts are U.S. Dollars unless otherwise stated.
The India Fund, Inc.
3
Report of the Investment Manager
* | Demonetization comprises the act of stripping a currency unit of its status as legal tender. |
The India Fund, Inc.
4
Report of the Investment Manager (concluded)
The India Fund, Inc.
5
Total Investment Returns (unaudited)
The following table summarizes the average annual Fund total investment return compared to the Funds benchmark, the MSCI India Index, for the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year and 10-year periods as of December 31, 2018.
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||||||||||||
Net Asset Value (NAV) |
-1.9% | 10.3% | 11.9% | 12.2% | ||||||||||||
Market Price |
-6.0% | 9.1% | 11.3% | 9.8% | ||||||||||||
MSCI India Index |
-7.3% | 8.2% | 8.1% | 10.7% |
Returns represent past performance. Total investment return at NAV is based on changes in the NAV of Fund shares and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions, if any, at prices pursuant to the Funds dividend reinvestment program. All return data includes fees charged to the Fund, which are listed in the Funds Statement of Operations under Expenses. The Funds total investment return is based on the reported NAV on the financial reporting period end. Total investment return at market value is based on changes in the market price at which the Funds shares traded on the NYSE during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions, if any, at market prices pursuant to the Funds dividend reinvestment program. Because the Funds shares trade in the stock market based on investor demand, the Fund may trade at a price higher or lower than its NAV. Therefore, returns are calculated based on both market price and NAV. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance information provided does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions received from the Fund. The current performance of the Fund may be lower or higher than the figures shown. The Funds yield, return, market price and NAV will fluctuate. Performance information current to the most recent month-end is available at www.aberdeenifn.com or by calling 800-522-5465.
The net expense ratio for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 was 1.32%.
The India Fund, Inc.
6
Portfolio Summary (unaudited)
The following table summarizes the sector composition of the Funds portfolio, in Standard & Poors Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS), expressed as a percentage of net assets as of December 31, 2018. The GICS structure consists of 11 sectors, 24 industry groups, 69 industries and 158 subindustries. As of December 31, 2018, the Fund did not have more than 25% of its assets invested in any industry. The sectors, as classified by GICS, are comprised of several industries.
Sectors | As a Percentage of Net Assets |
|||
Financials |
25.8% | * | ||
Consumer Staples |
21.2% | |||
Information Technology |
18.3% | |||
Materials |
14.2% | |||
Health Care |
9.4% | |||
Consumer Discretionary |
7.9% | |||
Industrials |
6.2% | |||
Communication Services |
2.4% | |||
Real Estate |
2.0% | |||
Energy |
1.2% | |||
Short-Term Investment |
0.1% | |||
Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets |
(8.7)% | |||
100.0% |
* | As of December 31, 2018, the Funds holdings in the Financials sector consisted of four industries: Thrifts and Mortgage Finance, Banks, Insurance and Diversified Financial Services which represented 11.7%, 10.9%, 2.6% and 0.6% respectively, of the Funds net assets. |
Top Ten Equity Holdings (unaudited)
The following were the Funds top ten equity holdings as of December 31, 2018:
Name of Security | As a Percentage of Net Assets |
|||
Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd. |
11.7% | |||
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. |
8.0% | |||
ITC Ltd. |
5.6% | |||
Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. |
5.5% | |||
Infosys Ltd. |
5.1% | |||
Hindustan Unilever Ltd. |
4.7% | |||
Piramal Enterprises Ltd. |
4.4% | |||
Asian Paints Ltd. |
4.3% | |||
Container Corp. Of India Ltd. |
4.2% | |||
Nestle India Ltd. |
4.1% |
The India Fund, Inc.
7
Portfolio of Investments
As of December 31, 2018
Shares or Principal Amount |
Description | Value | ||||||
LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS(108.6%) |
||||||||
COMMON STOCKS(108.6%) |
||||||||
INDIA(107.2%) |
||||||||
COMMUNICATION SERVICES(2.4%) |
||||||||
1,839,000 | Bharti Airtel Ltd. (a) |
$ | 8,214,043 | |||||
2,000,161 | Bharti Infratel Ltd. (a) |
7,415,924 | ||||||
15,629,967 | ||||||||
CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY(7.9%) |
||||||||
63,195 | Bosch Ltd. (a) |
17,784,855 | ||||||
456,000 | Hero MotoCorp Ltd. (a) |
20,169,505 | ||||||
116,600 | Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (a) |
12,436,498 | ||||||
50,390,858 | ||||||||
CONSUMER STAPLES(21.2%) |
||||||||
976,080 | Godrej Agrovet Ltd. (a)(b) |
7,010,316 | ||||||
2,073,279 | Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. (a) |
24,078,409 | ||||||
1,162,000 | Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (a) |
30,248,512 | ||||||
8,932,000 | ITC Ltd. (a) |
36,008,065 | ||||||
4,134,940 | Jyothy Laboratories Ltd. (a) |
12,669,663 | ||||||
165,800 | Nestle India Ltd. (a) |
26,336,029 | ||||||
136,350,994 | ||||||||
ENERGY(1.2%) |
||||||||
2,672,512 | Aegis Logistics Ltd. (a) |
7,802,222 | ||||||
FINANCIALS(25.8%) |
||||||||
2,660,274 | Aditya Birla Capital Ltd. (a)(c) |
3,805,510 | ||||||
1,443,721 | Bandhan Bank Ltd. (a)(b) |
11,373,500 | ||||||
772,000 | HDFC Bank Ltd. (a) |
23,485,766 | ||||||
2,673,000 | Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd. (a) |
75,181,699 | ||||||
1,977,000 | Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. (a) |
35,465,433 | ||||||
1,020,000 | Max Financial Services Ltd. (a)(c) |
6,486,135 | ||||||
1,176,614 | SBI Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (a)(b) |
10,028,985 | ||||||
165,827,028 | ||||||||
HEALTH CARE(9.4%) |
||||||||
328,214 | GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (a) |
7,094,341 | ||||||
836,483 | Piramal Enterprises Ltd. (a) |
28,447,306 | ||||||
121,170 | Sanofi India Ltd. (a) |
11,100,480 | ||||||
1,166,322 | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (a) |
7,181,362 | ||||||
830,000 | Syngene International Ltd. (a)(b) |
6,714,602 | ||||||
60,538,091 | ||||||||
INDUSTRIALS(6.2%) |
||||||||
349,224 | ABB India Ltd. (a) |
6,648,202 | ||||||
2,753,000 | Container Corp. Of India Ltd. (a) |
27,092,587 | ||||||
370,687 | Thermax Ltd. (a) |
6,007,448 | ||||||
39,748,237 | ||||||||
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY(16.9%) |
||||||||
302,531 | Cyient Ltd. (a) |
2,692,135 | ||||||
3,484,854 | Infosys Ltd. (a) |
32,958,504 |
See Notes to Financial Statements.
The India Fund, Inc.
8
Portfolio of Investments (concluded)
As of December 31, 2018
Shares or Principal Amount |
Description | Value | ||||||
LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS (continued) |
||||||||
COMMON STOCKS (continued) |
||||||||
INDIA (continued) |
||||||||
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (continued) |
||||||||
1,492,154 | Mphasis Ltd. (a) |
$ | 21,799,364 | |||||
1,876,366 | Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (a) |
50,923,078 | ||||||
108,373,081 | ||||||||
MATERIALS(14.2%) |
||||||||
1,821,000 | Ambuja Cements Ltd. (a) |
5,862,861 | ||||||
1,408,880 | Asian Paints Ltd. (a) |
27,600,104 | ||||||
2,600,000 | Castrol (India) Ltd. (a) |
5,631,755 | ||||||
1,260,230 | Grasim Industries Ltd. (a) |
14,920,223 | ||||||
49,000 | Shree Cement Ltd. (a) |
12,109,597 | ||||||
442,088 | UltraTech Cement Ltd. (a) |
25,244,668 | ||||||
91,369,208 | ||||||||
REAL ESTATE(2.0%) |
||||||||
740,000 | Godrej Properties Ltd. (a)(c) |
6,881,547 | ||||||
1,770,000 | Prestige Estates Projects Ltd. (a) |
5,581,071 | ||||||
12,462,618 | ||||||||
688,492,304 | ||||||||
UNITED STATES(1.4%) |
||||||||
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY(1.4%) |
||||||||
139,000 | Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Class A |
8,823,720 | ||||||
Total Common Stocks |
697,316,024 | |||||||
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT(0.1%) |
||||||||
UNITED STATES(0.1%) |
||||||||
588,250 | State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Premier Class, 2.27% (d) |
588,250 | ||||||
Total Short-Term Investment |
588,250 | |||||||
Total Investments (cost $360,847,308) (e)108.7% |
697,904,274 | |||||||
Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets(8.7)% |
(55,825,171 | ) | ||||||
Net Assets100.0% |
$ | 642,079,103 |
(a) | Fair Values are determined pursuant to procedures approved by the Funds Board of Directors. Unless otherwise noted, securities are valued by applying valuation factors to the exchange traded price. See Note 2(a) of the accompanying Notes to Financial Statements. |
(b) | Denotes a security issued under Regulation S or Rule 144A. |
(c) | Non-income producing security. |
(d) | Registered investment company advised by State Street Global Advisors. The rate shown is the 7 day yield as of December 31, 2018. |
(e) | See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements for tax unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) of securities. |
See Notes to Financial Statements.
The India Fund, Inc.
9
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
As of December 31, 2018
Assets |
||||
Investments, at value (cost $360,259,058) |
$ | 697,316,024 | ||
Short-term investment, at value (cost $588,250) |
588,250 | |||
Foreign currency, at value (cost $15,337,489) |
15,405,777 | |||
Receivable for investments sold |
1,678,554 | |||
Interest and dividends receivable |
1,664 | |||
Prepaid expenses |
111,587 | |||
Total assets |
715,101,856 | |||
Liabilities |
||||
Dividends payable to common shareholders |
62,550,157 | |||
Deferred foreign capital gains tax |
9,217,947 | |||
Investment management fees payable (Note 3) |
607,017 | |||
Payable for investments purchased |
247,612 | |||
Administration fees payable (Note 3) |
46,408 | |||
Investor relations fees payable (Note 3) |
41,580 | |||
Director fees payable |
25,000 | |||
Other |
287,032 | |||
Total liabilities |
73,022,753 | |||
Net Assets |
$ | 642,079,103 | ||
Composition of Net Assets: |
||||
Capital stock (par value $0.001 per share) (Note 5) |
$ | 26,928 | ||
Paid-in capital in excess of par |
329,607,737 | |||
Distributable earnings |
312,444,438 | |||
Net Assets |
$ | 642,079,103 | ||
Net asset value per share based on 26,927,847 shares issued and outstanding |
$ | 23.84 |
See Notes to Financial Statements.
The India Fund, Inc.
10
Statement of Operations
For the Year Ended December 31, 2018
Net Investment Income |
||||
Income |
||||
Dividends and other income (net of foreign withholding taxes of $0) |
$ | 8,978,489 | ||
Total Investment Income |
8,978,489 | |||
Expenses |
||||
Investment management fee (Note 3) |
7,808,323 | |||
Administration fee (Note 3) |
605,184 | |||
Custodians fees and expenses |
372,257 | |||
Directors fees and expenses |
307,500 | |||
Legal fees and expenses |
228,931 | |||
Investor relations fees and expenses (Note 3) |
163,037 | |||
Reports to shareholders and proxy solicitation |
124,455 | |||
Insurance expenses |
119,482 | |||
Independent auditors fees and expenses |
90,680 | |||
Transfer agents fees and expenses |
24,314 | |||
Miscellaneous |
104,199 | |||
Net expenses |
9,948,362 | |||
Net Investment Loss |
(969,873 | ) | ||
Net Realized/Unrealized Gain/(Loss) from Investments and Foreign Currency Related Transactions: |
||||
Net realized gain/(loss) from: |
||||
Investment transactions |
102,826,755 | |||
Foreign currency transactions |
(988,711 | ) | ||
101,838,044 | ||||
Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on: |
||||
Investments (including $3,556,261 change in deferred capital gains tax) (Note 2f) |
(136,632,244 | ) | ||
Foreign currency translation |
24,432 | |||
(136,607,812 | ) | |||
Net realized and unrealized (loss) from investments and foreign currency related transactions |
(34,769,768 | ) | ||
Net Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from Operations |
$ | (35,739,641 | ) |
See Notes to Financial Statements.
The India Fund, Inc.
11
Statements of Changes in Net Assets
For the Year Ended December 31, 2018 |
For the Year Ended December 31, 2017 |
|||||||
Increase/(Decrease) in Net Assets |
||||||||
Operations: |
||||||||
Net investment loss |
$ | (969,873 | ) | $ | (186,275 | ) | ||
Net realized gain from investment and foreign currency related transactions |
101,838,044 | 92,684,366 | ||||||
Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on investments and foreign currency translation |
(136,607,812 | ) | 144,828,888 | |||||
Net increase/(decrease) in net assets resulting from operations |
(35,739,641 | ) | 237,326,979 | |||||
Distributions to Shareholders from:(a) |
||||||||
Distributable earnings |
(122,353,140 | ) | (88,656,782 | ) | ||||
Net decrease in net assets from distributions |
(122,353,140 | ) | (88,656,782 | ) | ||||
Repurchase of shares under open market repurchase policy (1,054,737 and 474,826, respectively) (Note 6) |
(25,439,377 | ) | (12,795,191 | ) | ||||
Change in net assets from capital transactions |
(25,439,377 | ) | (12,795,191 | ) | ||||
Change in net assets resulting from operations |
(183,532,158 | ) | 135,875,006 | |||||
Net Assets: |
||||||||
Beginning of year |
825,611,261 | 689,736,255 | ||||||
End of year |
$ | 642,079,103 | $ | 825,611,261 |
(a) | Per SEC Release No #33-10532 (Disclosure Update and Simplification), the Fund is no longer required to differentiate distributions from earnings as either from net investment income or net realized capital gains. For the year ended December 31, 2017, distributions from net investment income and net realized capital gains were $1,773 and $88,655,009, respectively. |
See Notes to Financial Statements.
The India Fund, Inc.
12
Financial Highlights
For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | ||||||||||||||||
Per Share Operating Performance(a): | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of year | $29.50 | $24.24 | $25.95 | $28.63 | $22.92 | |||||||||||||||
Net investment income/(loss) | (0.04 | ) | (0.01 | ) | | 0.01 | (b) | 0.08 | ||||||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gains/(losses) on investments and foreign currency transactions | (1.25 | ) | 8.37 | (0.09 | ) | (0.91 | ) | 7.40 | ||||||||||||
Total from investment operations | (1.29 | ) | 8.36 | (0.09 | ) | (0.90 | ) | 7.48 | ||||||||||||
Dividends and distributions to shareholders from: |
| |||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | (4.50 | ) | | (0.04 | ) | (0.16 | ) | (0.12 | ) | |||||||||||
Net realized gains | | (3.16 | ) | (1.67 | ) | (1.66 | ) | (1.74 | ) | |||||||||||
Total dividends and distributions to shareholders | (4.50 | ) | (3.16 | ) | (1.71 | ) | (1.82 | ) | (1.86 | ) | ||||||||||
Capital Share Transactions: |
| |||||||||||||||||||
Impact due to shares tendered or repurchased (Notes 5 and 6) | | | | | 0.08 | |||||||||||||||
Impact due to open market repurchase policy (Note 6) | 0.13 | 0.06 | 0.09 | 0.04 | 0.01 | |||||||||||||||
Total capital share transactions | 0.13 | 0.06 | 0.09 | 0.04 | 0.09 | |||||||||||||||
Net asset value, end of year | $23.84 | $29.50 | $24.24 | $25.95 | $28.63 | |||||||||||||||
Market value, end of year | $20.24 | $26.12 | $21.39 | $22.74 | $25.81 | |||||||||||||||
Total Investment Return Based on(c): | ||||||||||||||||||||
Market value | (6.00% | ) | 36.45% | 1.20% | (4.42% | ) | 37.83% | |||||||||||||
Net asset value | (1.94% | ) | 35.98% | 0.50% | (1.67% | )(d) | 33.41% | (d) | ||||||||||||
Ratio to Average Net Assets/Supplementary Data: |
| |||||||||||||||||||
Net assets, end of year (000 omitted) | $642,079 | $825,611 | $689,736 | $759,064 | $847,554 | |||||||||||||||
Average net assets (000 omitted) | $756,480 | $836,037 | $770,618 | $862,993 | $837,505 | |||||||||||||||
Net expenses, after reimbursement and waiver(e) | 1.32% | 1.26% | 1.33% | 1.32% | 1.47% | |||||||||||||||
Net expenses, prior to reimbursement and waiver(e) | 1.32% | 1.26% | 1.33% | 1.32% | 1.74% | |||||||||||||||
Net investment income/(loss) | (0.13% | ) | (0.02% | ) | (0.01% | ) | 0.05% | (b) | 0.29% | |||||||||||
Portfolio turnover | 12.62% | 12.15% | 12.25% | 5.74% | 3.28% |
(a) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(b) | Included within the net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets are the effects of an adjustment to a foreign tax liability. If such amounts were excluded, the net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets would have been $(0.01) and (0.04%), respectively. |
(c) | Total investment return based on market value is calculated assuming that shares of the Funds common stock were purchased at the closing market price as of the beginning of the period, dividends, capital gains, and other distributions were reinvested as provided for in the Funds dividend reinvestment plan and then sold at the closing market price per share on the last day of the period. The computation does not reflect any sales commission investors may incur in purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. The total investment return based on the net asset value is similarly computed except that the Funds net asset value is substituted for the closing market value. |
(d) | Includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns based upon net asset value as reported. |
(e) | Prior to 2016, ratio inclusive of foreign tax expense paid to Mauritius on the Funds taxable income. The Fund exited its Mauritius structure in 2015. |
Amounts listed as are $0 or round to $0.
See Notes to Financial Statements.
The India Fund, Inc.
13
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2018
The India Fund, Inc.
14
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
December 31, 2018
The following is a summary of the inputs used as of December 31, 2018 in valuing the Funds investments at fair value. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. Please refer to the Portfolio of Investments for a detailed breakout of the security types:
Investments, at Value | Level 1-Quoted Prices ($) |
Level 2-Other Significant Observable Inputs ($) |
Level 3-Significant Unobservable Inputs ($) |
Total ($) | ||||||||||||
Investments in Securities |
| |||||||||||||||
Common Stocks |
$ | 8,823,720 | $ | 688,492,304 | $ | | $ | 697,316,024 | ||||||||
Short-Term Investment |
588,250 | | | 588,250 | ||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 9,411,970 | $ | 688,492,304 | $ | | $ | 697,904,274 |
Amounts listed as are $0 or round to $0.
The India Fund, Inc.
15
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
December 31, 2018
The India Fund, Inc.
16
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
December 31, 2018
The India Fund, Inc.
17
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
December 31, 2018
The India Fund, Inc.
18
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
December 31, 2018
Income and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was as follows:
December 31, 2018 | December 31, 2017 | |||||||
Distributions paid from: |
||||||||
Ordinary Income |
$ | 21,306,430 | $ | 1,773 | ||||
Net long-term capital gains |
101,046,710 | 88,655,009 | ||||||
Total tax character of distributions |
$ | 122,353,140 | $ | 88,656,782 |
As of December 31, 2018, the components of accumulated earnings on a tax basis were as follows:
Undistributed ordinary income net |
$ | | ||
Undistributed long-term capital gains net |
7,761,133 | |||
Total undistributed earnings |
$ | 7,761,133 | ||
Capital loss carryforward |
| |||
Other currency gains |
| |||
Other temporary differences |
| |||
Unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) |
304,683,305 | |||
Total accumulated earnings/(losses) net |
$ | 312,444,438 |
* | The tax basis of components of distributable earnings differs from the amounts reflected in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities by temporary book/tax differences. These differences are primarily timing differences due to wash sales, passive foreign investment companies and corporate actions. |
The India Fund, Inc.
19
Notes to Financial Statements (concluded)
December 31, 2018
The India Fund, Inc.
20
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors
The India Fund, Inc.:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of The India Fund, Inc. (the Fund), including the portfolio of investments, as of December 31, 2018, the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the years in the two-year period then ended, and the related notes (collectively, the financial statements) and the financial highlights for each of the years in the two-year period then ended. In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of December 31, 2018, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the years in the two-year period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the years in the two-year period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The financial highlights for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, were audited by other independent registered public accountants whose report, dated February 27, 2017, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial highlights.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Funds management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements and financial highlights, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements and financial highlights. Such procedures also included confirmation of securities owned as of December 31, 2018, by correspondence with the custodian and brokers. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements and financial highlights. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have served as the auditor of one or more Aberdeen investment companies since 2009.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 28, 2019
The India Fund, Inc.
21
Federal Tax Information: Dividends and Distributions (unaudited)
The following information is provided with respect to the distributions paid by The India Fund, Inc. during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018:
Payable Date |
Total Cash Distribution |
Long-Term Capital Gain |
Tax Return of Capital |
Net Ordinary Dividend |
Foreign Taxes Paid |
Gross Ordinary Dividend |
Qualified Dividends(1) |
Foreign Source Income |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
4/27/2018 | 0.760000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.760000 | 0.017151 | 0.777151 | 0.760000 | 0.743667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
6/29/2018 | 0.710000 | 0.697761 | 0.000000 | 0.012239 | 0.000278 | 0.012517 | 0.012239 | 0.011976 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10/2/2018 | 0.710000 | 0.710000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1/10/2019 | 2.322880 | 2.322880 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
TOTAL | 4.502880 | 3.730641 | 0.000000 | 0.772239 | 0.017429 | 0.789668 | 0.772239 | 0.755643 |
(1) | The Fund hereby designates the amount indicated above or the maximum amount allowable by law. |
Supplemental Information (unaudited)
The India Fund, Inc.
22
Supplemental Information (unaudited) (continued)
The India Fund, Inc.
23
Supplemental Information (unaudited) (concluded)
The India Fund, Inc.
24
Dividend Reinvestment and Cash Purchase Plan (unaudited)
The India Fund, Inc.
25
Dividend Reinvestment and Cash Purchase Plan (unaudited) (concluded)
The India Fund, Inc.
26
Management of the Fund (unaudited)
The names of the Directors and Officers of the Fund, their addresses, years of birth, and principal occupations during the past five years are provided in the tables below. Directors that are deemed interested persons (as that term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) of the Fund or the Funds investment adviser are included in the table below under the heading Interested Directors. Directors who are not interested persons, as described above, are referred to in the table below under the heading Independent Directors.
Board of Directors Information
Name, Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held With the Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Number of Funds in Fund Complex* Overseen by Director |
Other Directorships Held by Director | |||||
Independent Directors | ||||||||||
Jeswald W. Salacuse c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1938 |
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nominating Committee, Valuation Committee and Audit Committee | Since 1993; current term ends at the 2021 annual Meeting | Mr. Salacuse has been the Henry J. Braker Professor of Commercial Law at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University, since 1986. He was also a Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School from January 2014 through July 2014, and has served as International Arbitrator, Arbitration Tribunal, ICSID, World Bank since 2004. | 1 | Director and Chairman of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. (1993-2018) Former Director of 30 registered investment companies advised by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC and its affiliates. | |||||
Leslie H. Gelb c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1937 |
Director, Audit Committee and Nominating Committee | Since 1994; current term ends at the 2020 annual Meeting | Mr. Gelb has been the President Emeritus of The Council on Foreign Relations since 2003. Previously, he was a Columnist, Deputy Editorial Page Editor and Editor, Op-Ed Page, of TheNew York Times, as well as a senior official in the departments of State and Defense. | 1 | Director of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. (1994-2018) and Former Director of 22 Registered Investment Companies advised by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC and its affiliates. | |||||
Nancy Yao Maasbach c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1972 |
Director, Audit Committee and Nominating Committee | Since 2016; current term ends at the 2020 annual meeting | Ms. Maasbach is the President of the Museum of Chinese in America since 2015. From 2009 to 2014, she was the executive director of the Yale-China Association, one of the oldest non-profit organizations dedicated to building U.S.-China relations at a grassroots level. Nancy has over twenty years of experience working in and covering Asia, including positions at Goldman Sachs & Co., Center for Finance and Research Analysis, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Nancy is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 2015. | 6 | Director of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. from 2016 to 2018. | |||||
Nisha Kumar c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1970 |
Director, Audit Committee and Nominating Committee | Since 2016; current term ends at the 2021 annual meeting | Ms. Kumar has been a Managing Director and the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of Greenbriar Equity Group LLC since 2011. She was previously Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Rent the Runway, Inc. during 2011. From 2007 to 2009, Ms. Kumar served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AOL LLC, a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. Nisha is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as a board member to the following organizations: GB Flow Investment LLC, EDAC Technologies Corp., Nordco Holdings, LLC, and SEKO Global Logistics Network, LLC. | 1 | Director of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. from 2016 to 2018; Director of Aberdeen Income Credit Strategies Fund (2018-2019); 22 Registered Investment Companies advised by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC and its affiliates (since 2019). |
The India Fund, Inc.
27
Management of the Fund (unaudited) (continued)
Name, Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held With the Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Number of Funds in Fund Complex* Overseen by Director |
Other Directorships Held by Director | |||||
Luis Rubio c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1955 |
Director, Audit Committee and Nominating Committee | Since 1999; current term ends at the 2019 annual meeting | Mr. Rubio has been the Chairman of Mexico Evalua-CIDAC since 2000 and Chairman, Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (2017-2019). He is also a frequent contributor of op-ed pieces to the Wall Street Journal and the author and editor of 49 books. | 1 | Director of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. (1999-2018) and one registered investment company advised by Advantage Advisers L.L.C. or its affiliates; Director of Coca Cola Femsa. | |||||
Interest Directors | ||||||||||
Martin J. Gilbert** c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments 10 Queens Terrace Aberdeen, Scotland AB10 1YG
Year of Birth: 1955 |
Director | Since 2012; current term ends at the 2021 annual meeting | Mr. Gilbert is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Standard Life Aberdeen plc, the global investment company formed as a result of the merger between Aberdeen Asset Management PLC and Standard Life plc in August 2017. He was a founding director, shareholder, and Chief Executive of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC, the holding company of the fund management group that was established in 1983. Director (1991-2014) Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited; and Director (2000-2014), Aberdeen Asset Management Limited. He has been a Director from 1995 to 2014, and was President from 2006 to 2014 of Aberdeen Asset Management, Inc. | 27 | Trustee of Aberdeen Funds (24); Director of Aberdeen Asia- Pacific Income Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Global Income Fund, Inc., The India Fund, Inc. and Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Investment Company Limited | |||||
Hugh Young** c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1958 |
Director | Since 2012; current term ends at the 2019 annual meeting | Mr. Young has been a member of the Executive Management Committee of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC since 1991. He has been Managing Director of Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited since 1991. | 2 | Director of Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc., and Aberdeen Asia- Pacific Income Investment Company Limited |
* | As of the date of this report, each of Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Global Income Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund, Inc. Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc., The India Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Income Credit Strategies Fund, Aberdeen Global Dynamic Dividend Fund, Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund, Aberdeen Global Premier Properties Fund, Aberdeen Standard Investments ETFs, the Aberdeen Funds (which consists of 24 portfolios) and the Aberdeen Investment Funds (which consists of 4 portfolios), have a common investment manager and/or investment adviser, or an investment adviser that is affiliated with the Investment Manager, and may thus be deemed to be part of the same Fund Complex as the Fund. |
** | Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Young are deemed to be interested persons because of their affiliation with the Funds Investment Manager. |
The India Fund, Inc.
28
Management of the Fund (unaudited) (continued)
Information Regarding Officers* who are not Directors
Name, Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held With the Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
Officers | ||||||
Alan Goodson* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1974 |
President | Since 2011 | Currently, Director, Vice President and Head of Product-Americas, overseeing Product Management and Product Development for Aberdeens registered and unregistered investment companies in the United States and Canada. Mr. Goodson joined Aberdeen in 2000. | |||
Jeffrey Cotton* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1977 |
Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President Compliance | Since 2011 | Currently, Director and Vice President and Head of Compliance Americas for Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc., Chief Risk Officer-EMEA and Interim Global Head of Conduct & Compliance for Aberdeen. Mr. Cotton joined Aberdeen in 2010. | |||
Andrea Melia* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1969 |
Treasurer | Since 2011 | Currently, Vice President and Head of Fund Operations, Traditional Assets Americas for Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Ms. Melia joined the company in September 2009. | |||
Megan Kennedy* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1974 |
Secretary and Vice President | Since 2011 | Currently, Head of Product Management since 2009 for Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Ms. Kennedy joined the company in 2005 as a Senior Fund Administrator. She was promoted to Assistant Treasurer Collective Funds/North American Mutual Funds in February 2008 and promoted to Treasurer Collective Funds/North American Mutual Funds in July 2008. | |||
Christian Pittard* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1973 |
Vice President | Since 2011 | Currently, Group Head of Product Opportunities. From 2005 to 2007 he was Head of North American funds based in the US. Prior to that he was a Managing Director of Aberdeens business in Jersey, Channel Islands having joined Aberdeen in 1998. Christian is qualified as a Chartered Accountant and a fellow of The Securities Institute by Diploma. He has experience in launching and servicing both closed and open ended funds in Europe and the US. | |||
Bev Hendry* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1953 |
Vice President | Since 2014 | Currently, Chairman Americas for Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Mr. Hendry first joined Aberdeen in 1987 and helped establish Aberdeens business in the Americas in Fort Lauderdale. Mr. Hendry left Aberdeen in 2008 when the company moved to consolidate its headquarters in Philadelphia. Mr. Hendry re-joined Aberdeen from Hansberger Global Investors in Fort Lauderdale where he worked as a Chief Operating Officer for 6 years. | |||
Jennifer Nichols* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1978 |
Vice President | Since 2011 | Currently, Director, Vice President and Head of Legal Americas for Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. (since October 2006). |
The India Fund, Inc.
29
Management of the Fund (unaudited) (concluded)
Name, Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held With the Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
Adrian Lim c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1971 |
Vice President | Since 2012 | Currently, Investment Director on the Asian Equities Team. Adrian joined Aberdeen in 2000 as a manager in private equity on the acquisition of Murray Johnstone and transferred to his current position soon after. | |||
Lucia Sitar* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1971 |
Vice President | Since 2012 | Currently, Vice President and Managing U.S. Counsel for Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Ms. Sitar joined Aberdeen Asset Management Inc. in July 2007 as U.S. Counsel. | |||
Joseph Andolina* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1978 |
Vice President Compliance | Since 2017 | Currently, Head of Conduct & Compliance Americas since 2017 and Chief Risk Officer Americas since 2019. Prior to joining the Compliance Department, Joe was a member of Aberdeen Standards Legal Department. He joined the company in 2012. | |||
Sharon Ferrari* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1977 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2013 | Currently, Senior Fund Administration Manager-US for Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. She joined the company as a Senior Fund Administrator in 2008. | |||
Heather Hasson* c/o Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. Attn: US Legal 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Year of Birth: 1982 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2018 | Currently, Senior Product Manager for Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. since 2009. She joined the company as a Fund Administrator in 2006. |
* | Messrs. Andolina, Cotton, Goodson, Hendry, and Pittard and Mses. Ferrari, Hasson, Kennedy, Melia, Nichols and Sitar hold one or more officer positions with one or more of the following funds: Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Funds, Aberdeen Investment Funds, Aberdeen Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc., The India Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Global Dynamic Dividend Fund, Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund, Aberdeen Global Premier Properties Fund, Aberdeen Standard Investments ETFs and Aberdeen Income Credit Strategies Fund each of which may be deemed to be part of the same Fund Complex as the Fund. |
The India Fund, Inc.
30
Corporate Information
Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) Limited (formerly Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited)
Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 23(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, that the Fund may purchase, from time to time, shares of its common stock in the open market.
Shares of The India Fund, Inc. are traded on the NYSE under the symbol IFN. Information about the Funds net asset value and market price is available at www.aberdeenifn.com.
This report, including the financial information herein, is transmitted to the shareholders of The India Fund, Inc. for their general information only. It does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and the particular needs of any specific person. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns.
IFN-Annual
Item 2 - | Code of Ethics. |
(a) | As of December 31, 2018, the Registrant had adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to the Registrants principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions, regardless of whether these individuals are employed by the Registrant or a third party (the Code of Ethics). |
(b) | Definitional. |
(c) | There have been no amendments during the period covered by this report, to a provision of the Code of Ethics. |
(d) | During the period covered by this report, there were no waivers to the provisions of the Code of Ethics. |
(e) | Not Applicable |
(f) | A copy of the Code of Ethics has been filed as an exhibit to this Form N-CSR |
Item 3 - | Audit Committee Financial Expert. |
The Registrants Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Nisha Kumar, a member of the Board of Directors Audit Committee, possesses the attributes, and has acquired such attributes through means, identified in instruction 2 of Item 3 to Form N-CSR to qualify as an audit committee financial expert, and has designated Ms. Kumar as the Audit Committees financial expert. Ms. Kumar is considered to be an independent director, as such term is defined in paragraph (a)(2) of Item 3 to Form N-CSR.
Item 4 - | Principal Accountant Fees and Services. |
(a) (d) Below is a table reflecting the fee information requested in Items 4(a) through (d):
|
Fiscal Year Ended |
(a) Audit Fees |
(b) Audit-Related Fees |
(c)1 Tax Fees |
(d) All Other Fees | |||||
December 31, 2018
|
$50,314 | $0 | $8,500 | $0 | ||||||
December 31, 2017
|
$49,500 | $0 | $8,500 | $0 |
(1) | Services include tax services in connection with the Registrants excise tax calculations and review of the registrants applicable tax returns. |
(e)(1) The Registrants Audit Committee (the Committee) has adopted a Charter that provides that the Committee shall annually select, retain or terminate, and recommend to the Independent Directors for their ratification, the selection, retention or termination, the Registrants independent auditor and, in connection therewith, to evaluate the terms of the engagement (including compensation of the independent auditor) and the qualifications and independence of the independent auditor, including whether the independent auditor provides any consulting, auditing or tax services to the Registrants investment adviser or any sub-adviser, and to receive the independent auditors specific representations as to their independence, delineating all relationships between the independent auditor and the Registrant, consistent with the PCAOB Rule 3526 or any other applicable auditing standard. PCAOB Rule 3526 requires that, at least
annually, the auditor: (1) disclose to the Committee in writing all relationships between the auditor and its related entities and the Registrant and its related entities that in the auditors professional judgment may reasonably be thought to bear on independence; (2) confirm in the letter that, in its professional judgment, it is independent of the Registrant within the meaning of the Securities Acts administered by the SEC; and (3) discuss the auditors independence with the audit committee. The Committee is responsible for actively engaging in a dialogue with the independent auditor with respect to any disclosed relationships or services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the independent auditor and for taking, or recommending that the full Board take, appropriate action to oversee the independence of the independent auditor. The Committee Charter also provides that the Committee shall review in advance, and consider approval of, any and all proposals by Management or the Registrants investment adviser that the Registrant, the investment adviser or their affiliated persons, employ the independent auditor to render permissible non-audit services to the Registrant and to consider whether such services are consistent with the independent auditors independence. The Committee may delegate to one or more of its members (Delegates) authority to pre-approve permissible non-audit services to be provided to the Registrant. Any pre-approval determination of a Delegate shall be presented to the full Committee at its next meeting. The Committee shall communicate any pre-approval made by it or a Delegate to the Adviser, who will ensure that the appropriate disclosure is made in the Registrants periodic reports required by Section 30 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and other documents as required under the federal securities laws.
(e)(2) None of the services described in each of paragraphs (b) through (d) of this Item involved a waiver of the pre-approval requirement by the Audit Committee pursuant to Rule 2-01 (c)(7)(i)(C) of Regulation S-X.
(f) Not applicable.
(g) Non-Audit Fees
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, KPMG billed $803,986 and $671,126 for aggregate non-audit fees for services to the Registrant and to the Registrants Investment Manager and Investment Adviser.
(h) Not applicable.
Item 5 - | Audit Committee of Listed Registrants. |
(a) | The Registrant has a separately-designated standing Audit Committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(58)(A)). |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, the Audit Committee members were: Leslie H. Gelb, Nisha Kumar, Nancy Yao Maasbach Luis F. Rubio and Jeswald W. Salacuse.
(b) | Not applicable. |
Item 6 - | Investments. |
(a) | Schedule of Investments in securities of unaffiliated issuers as of close of the reporting period is included as part of the Reports to Stockholders filed under Item 1 of this Form N-CSR. |
(b) | Not applicable. |
Item 7 - | Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies. |
Pursuant to the Registrants Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures, the Registrant has delegated responsibility for its proxy voting to its Investment Manager, provided that the Registrants Board of Directors has the opportunity to periodically review the Investment Managers proxy voting policies and material amendments thereto.
The proxy voting policies of the Registrant are included herewith as Exhibit (c) and policies of the Investment Manager are included as Exhibit (d).
Item 8 - | Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies. |
(a)(1) The information in the table is as of March 8, 2019
Individual & Position | Services Rendered | Past Business Experience
| ||
Hugh Young Managing Director |
Responsible for equities globally from the Singapore office. |
Currently, Managing Director as well as a member of the executive committee responsible for ASIs day-to-day running. Co-founded Singapore based business in 1992 having been recruited in 1985 to manage Asian equities from London.
| ||
Adrian Lim Investment Director Asia (Singapore) |
Responsible for Asian equities portfolio management |
Currently an Investment Director on the Asian Equities team. Adrian joined ASI from Murray Johnstone in December 2000. He was previously an associate director at Arthur Andersen advising clients on mergers & acquisitions in South East Asia. He moved from private equity to the Asian Equity team in July 2003.
| ||
Kristy Fong Investment Director Asia (Singapore) |
Responsible for Asian equities portfolio management |
Currently an Investment Director on the Asian Equities team. Kristy joined ASI in 2004 from UOB KayHian Pte Ltd where she was an analyst.
| ||
James Thom Investment Director Asia (Singapore) |
Responsible for Asian equities portfolio management |
Currently an Investment Director on the Asian Equities team. He joined ASI in 2010 from Actis, an Emerging Markets Private Equity firm.
| ||
Flavia Cheong Head of Equities Asia Pacific (Singapore) |
Responsible for company research and oversight of portfolio construction |
Currently the Head of Asia Pacific on the Asian Equities team, where, as well as sharing responsibility for company research, she oversees regional portfolio construction. Before joining ASI, she was an economist with the Investment Company of the Peoples Republic of China, and earlier with the Development Bank of Singapore
|
(a)(2) The information in the table is as of December 31, 2018
Name of
Portfolio Manager |
Type of Accounts | Total Number of Accounts Managed
|
Total Assets ($M)
|
Number of Accounts Managed for Which Advisory Fee is Based on Performance |
Total Assets for
Which Advisory Fee is
Based on Performance ($M)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Hugh Young |
Registered Investment Companies
|
16 | $ |
9,521.29 | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
Pooled Investment Vehicles
|
82 | $ |
28,853.37 | 1 | $ | 426.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other Accounts
|
87 | $ |
22,598.67 | 4 | $ | 1,314.18 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Adrian Lim |
Registered Investment Companies
|
16 | $ |
9,521.29 | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
Pooled Investment Vehicles
|
82 | $ |
28,853.37 | 1 | $ | 426.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other Accounts
|
87 | $ |
22,598.67 | 4 | $ | 1,314.18 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kristy Fong |
Registered Investment Companies
|
16 | $ |
9,521.29 | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
Pooled Investment Vehicles
|
82 | $ |
28,853.37 | 1 | $ | 426.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other Accounts
|
87 | $ |
22,598.67 | 4 | $ | 1,314.18 | ||||||||||||||||||||
James Thom |
Registered Investment Companies
|
16 | $ |
9,521.29 | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
Pooled Investment Vehicles
|
82 | $ |
28,853.37 | 1 | $ | 426.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other Accounts
|
87 | $ |
22,598.67 | 4 | $ | 1,314.18 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Flavia Cheong |
Registered Investment Companies
|
16 | $ |
9,521.29 | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
Pooled Investment Vehicles
|
82 | $ |
28,853.37 | 1 | $ | 426.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other Accounts
|
87 | $ |
22,598.67 | 4 | $ | 1,314.18 |
Total assets are as of December 31, 2018 and have been translated to U.S. dollars at a rate of £1.00 = $1.2736.
In accordance with legal requirements in the various jurisdictions in which they operate, and their own Conflicts of Interest policies, all subsidiaries of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC, (together Aberdeen), have in place arrangements to identify and manage Conflicts of Interest that may arise between them and their clients or between their different clients. Where Aberdeen does not consider that these arrangements are sufficient to manage a particular conflict, it will inform the relevant client(s) of the nature of the conflict so that the client(s) may decide how to proceed.
The portfolio managers management of other accounts, may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with their management of a Funds investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other. The other accounts may have the same investment objective as a fund. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the identical investment objectives, whereby the portfolio manager could favor one account over another. However, Aberdeen believes that these risks are mitigated by the fact that: (i) accounts with like investment strategies managed by a particular portfolio manager are generally managed in a similar fashion, subject to exceptions to account for particular investment restrictions or policies applicable only to certain accounts, differences in cash flows and account sizes, and similar factors; and (ii) portfolio manager personal trading is monitored to avoid potential conflicts. In addition, Aberdeen has adopted trade allocation procedures that require equitable allocation of trade orders for a particular security among participating accounts.
In some cases, another account managed by the same portfolio manager may compensate Aberdeen based on the performance of the portfolio held by that account. The existence of a performance-based fee may create additional conflicts of interest for the portfolio manager in the allocation of management time, resources and investment opportunities.
Another potential conflict could include instances in which securities considered as investments for the Fund also may be appropriate for other investment accounts managed by Aberdeen or its affiliates. Whenever decisions are made to buy or sell securities by the Fund and one or more of the other accounts simultaneously, Aberdeen may aggregate the purchases and sales of the securities and will allocate the securities transactions in a manner that it believes to be equitable under the circumstances. As a result of the allocations, there may be instances where the Fund will not participate in a transaction that is allocated among other accounts. While these aggregation and allocation policies could have a detrimental effect on the price or amount of the securities available to a fund from time to time, it is the opinion of Aberdeen that the benefits from the Aberdeen organization outweigh any disadvantage that may arise from exposure to simultaneous transactions. Aberdeen has adopted policies that are designed to eliminate or minimize conflicts of interest, although there is no guarantee that procedures adopted under such policies will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.
With respect to non-discretionary model delivery accounts, the Adviser will deliver model changes subsequent to commencing trading on behalf of discretionary accounts. Model changes are typically delivered on a security by security basis. The timing of such delivery is determined by the Adviser and will depend on the anticipated market impact of trading. Market impact includes, but is not limited to, factors such as liquidity and price impact. When minimal market impact is anticipated, the Adviser typically delivers security level model changes after such time when approximately two-thirds of the full discretionary order has been executed. Although the Adviser anticipates delivering model changes of such securities after approximately two-thirds of the discretionary order has been executed, the Adviser may deliver model changes prior to or substantially after two-thirds have been executed depending on prevailing market conditions and trader discretion. With respect to securities for which the Adviser anticipates a more significant market impact, the Adviser intends to withhold model deliver changes until such time when the entire discretionary order has been fully executed. Anticipated market impact on any given security is determined at the sole discretion of the Adviser based on prior market
experience and current market conditions. Actual market impact may vary significantly from anticipated market impact. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Adviser may provide order instructions simultaneously or prior to completion of trading for other accounts if the trade represents a relatively small proportion of the average daily trading volume of the particular security or other instrument.
The Adviser does not trade for non-discretionary model delivery clients. Because model changes may be delivered to non-discretionary model clients prior to the completion of the Advisers discretionary account trading, The Adviser may compete against these clients in the market when attempting to execute its orders for its discretionary accounts. As a result, discretionary clients may experience negative price and liquidity impact due to multiple market participants attempting to trade in a similar direction on the same security.
Timing delays or other operational factors associated with the implementation of trades may result in non-discretionary and model delivery clients receiving materially different prices relative to other client accounts. This may create performance dispersions within accounts with the same or similar investment mandate.
Investment decisions for strategies that have model delivery clients may cause a fund to compete against such model delivery clients that hold and trade in a same security as a fund.
(a)(3)
ASIs remuneration policies are designed to support its business strategy as a leading international asset manager. The objective is to attract, retain and reward talented individuals for the delivery of sustained, superior returns for ASIs clients and shareholders. ASI operates in a highly competitive international employment market, and aims to maintain its strong track record of success in developing and retaining talent.
ASIs policy is to recognize corporate and individual achievements each year through an appropriate annual bonus scheme. The aggregate value of awards in any year is dependent on the Standard Life Aberdeen Groups overall performance and profitability. Consideration is also given to the levels of bonuses paid in the market. Individual awards, which are payable to all members of staff, are determined by a rigorous assessment of achievement against defined objectives.
A long-term incentive plan for key staff and senior employees comprises of a mixture of cash and deferred shares in Aberdeen Asset Management PLC, or, after August 14, 2017, Standard Life Aberdeen plc, or select ASI funds (where applicable). Overall compensation packages are designed to be competitive relative to the investment management industry.
Base Salary
ASIs policy is to pay a fair salary commensurate with the individuals role, responsibilities and experience, and having regard to the market rates being offered for similar roles in the asset management sector and other comparable companies. Any increase is generally to reflect inflation and is applied in a manner consistent with other ASI employees; any other increases must be justified by reference to promotion or changes in responsibilities.
Annual Bonus
The Remuneration Committee of ASI determines the key performance indicators that will be applied in considering the overall size of the bonus pool. In line with practice amongst other asset management companies, individual bonuses are not subject to an absolute cap. However, the aggregate size of the bonus pool is dependent on the Standard Life Aberdeen Groups overall performance and profitability. Consideration is also given to the levels of bonuses paid in the market. Individual awards are determined by a rigorous assessment of achievement against defined objectives, and are reviewed and approved by the Remuneration Committee.
ASI has a deferral policy which is intended to assist in the retention of talent and to create additional alignment of executives interests with ASIs sustained performance and, in respect of the deferral into funds, managed by ASI, to align the interest of asset managers with our clients.
Staff performance is reviewed formally at least once a year. The review process evaluates the various aspects that the individual has contributed to ASI, and specifically, in the case of portfolio managers, to the relevant investment team. Discretionary bonuses are based on client service, asset growth and the performance of the respective portfolio manager. Overall participation in team meetings, generation of original research ideas and contribution to presenting the team externally are also evaluated.
In the calculation of a portfolio management teams bonus, ASI takes into consideration investment matters (which include the performance of funds, adherence to the company investment process, and quality of company meetings) as well as more subjective issues such as team participation and effectiveness at client presentations. To the extent performance is factored in, such performance is not judged against any specific benchmark and is evaluated over the period of a year - January to December. The pre- or after-tax performance of an individual account is not considered in the determination of a portfolio managers discretionary bonus; rather the review process evaluates the overall performance of the team for all of the accounts the team manages.
Portfolio manager performance on investment matters is judged over all of the accounts the portfolio manager contributes to and is documented in the appraisal process. A combination of the teams and individuals performance is considered and evaluated.
Although performance is not a substantial portion of a portfolio managers compensation, ASI also recognizes that fund performance can often be driven by factors outside ones control, such as (irrational) markets, and as such pays attention to the effort by portfolio managers to ensure integrity of our core process by sticking to disciplines and processes set, regardless of momentum and hot themes. Short-terming is thus discouraged and trading-oriented managers will thus find it difficult to thrive in the ASI environment. Additionally, if any of the aforementioned undue risks were to be taken by a portfolio manager, such trend would be identified via ASIs dynamic compliance monitoring system.
(a)(4)
Individual |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Registrant Beneficially Owned by the Portfolio Manager as of December 31, 2018 | |
Hugh Young |
$10,001-$50,000
| |
Adrian Lim |
None
| |
Kristy Fong |
None
| |
James Thom |
None
| |
Flavia Cheong |
None
|
(b) Not applicable.
Item 9 - | Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers. |
Period | (a) Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased |
(b) Average Price Paid per Share (or Unit) |
(c) Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs |
(d) Maximum Number
(or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares (or Units) that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs (1) | ||||
January 1, 2018 through January 31, 2018 |
4,989 | $26.16 | 4,989 | 857,234 | ||||
February 1, 2018 through February 28, 2018 |
104,670 | $26.23 | 104,670 | 752,564 | ||||
March 1, 2018 through March 31, 2018 |
193,653 | $25.18 | 193,653 | 558,911 | ||||
April 1, 2018 through April 30, 2018 |
88,321 | $25.13 | 88,321 | 470,590 | ||||
May 1, 2018 through May 31, 2018 |
87,253 | $24.94 | 87,253 | 383,337 | ||||
June 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018 |
113,764 | $24.39 | 113,764 | 269,573 | ||||
July 1, 2018 Through July 31, 2018 |
113,419 | $24.52 | 113,419 | 2,883,460 | ||||
August 1, 2018 Through August 31, 2018 |
64,206 | $25.25 | 64,206 | 2,819,254 | ||||
September 1, 2018 Through September 30, 2018 |
38,421 | $23.59 | 38,421 | 2,780,833 | ||||
October 1, 2018 Through October 31, 2018 |
151,480 | $20.89 | 151,480 | 2,629,353 | ||||
November 1, 2018 Through November 30, 2018 |
47,061 | $21.09 | 47,061 | 2,582,292 | ||||
December 1, 2018 Through December 31, 2018 |
47,500 | $21.67 | 47,500 | 2,534,792 | ||||
Total |
1,054,737 | $24.10 | 1,054,737 | - - |
(1) | The open market repurchase policy was authorized on October 30, 2012. The program authorized management to make open market purchases from time to time in an aggregate amount up to 10% of the Funds outstanding shares, as of a date determined by the Board. Such purchases may be made |
when the Funds shares are trading at certain discounts to net asset value. Effective July 31, 2018, the Board of Directors authorized additional shares eligible to be repurchased from time to time on the open market in an amount up to 10% of the Funds outstanding shares as of July 31, 2018. |
Item 10 - | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders. |
During the period ended December 31, 2018, there were no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Registrants Board of Directors.
Item 11. | Controls and Procedures. |
(a) | The Registrants principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the Registrants disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the Act) (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the Act (17 CFR 270.30a3(b)) and Rule 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d15(b)). |
(b) | There were no changes in the Registrants internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) that occurred during the Registrants last fiscal half-year that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrants internal control over financial reporting. |
Item 12. | Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies. |
Not applicable.
Item 13. | Exhibits. |
(a)(1) | Code of Ethics of the Registrant for the period covered by this report as required pursuant to Item 2 of this Form N-CSR. |
(a)(2) | Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto. |
(a)(3) | Not applicable. |
(a)(4) | Change in the registrants independent public accountant Not applicable for this reporting period. |
(b) | Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto. |
(c)(1) | A copy of the Registrants notices to stockholders, which accompanied distributions paid, pursuant to the Registrants Managed Distribution Policy since the Registrants last filed N-CSR, are filed herwirth as Exhibits 12(c)(1) and 12(c)(2) as required by the terms of the Registrants SEC exemptive order. |
(d) | Proxy Voting Policy of Registrant |
(e) | Investment Managers Proxy Voting Policy |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
(Registrant) |
The India Fund, Inc. |
By (Signature and Title): |
/s/ Alan Goodson | |
Alan Goodson, Principal Executive Officer |
Date: March 8, 2019
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
By (Signature and Title): | /s/ Alan Goodson | |
Alan Goodson, Principal Executive Officer | ||
Date: March 8, 2019 | ||
By (Signature and Title): | /s/ Andrea Melia | |
Andrea Melia, Principal Financial Officer |
Date: March 8, 2019