Purchases and sales of investments, excluding short-term securities, for the six months ended September 30, 2011, were $243,921,106 and $313,696,262 respectively.
The Master LLC, along with certain other funds managed by the Manager and its affiliates, is a party to a $500 million credit agreement with a group of lenders, which expires in November 2011. The Master LLC may borrow under the credit agreement to fund shareholder redemptions. The Master LLC pays a commitment fee of 0.08% per annum based on the Master LLC’s pro rata share of the unused portion of the credit agreement and interest at a rate equal to the higher of (a) the one-month LIBOR plus 1.00% per annum and (b) the Fed Funds rate plus 1.00% per annum on amounts borrowed. In addition, the Master LLC paid administration and arrangement fees which were allocated to the Master LLC based on its net assets as of October 31, 2010. The Master LLC did not borrow under the credit agreement during the six months ended September 30, 2011.
In the normal course of business, the Master LLC invests in securities and enters into transactions where risks exist due to fluctuations in the market (market risk) or failure of the issuer of a security to meet all its obligations (issuer credit risk). The value of securities held by the Master LLC may decline in response to certain events, including those directly involving the issuers whose securities are owned by the Master LLC; conditions affecting the general economy; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; and currency and interest rate and price fluctuations. Similar to issuer credit risk, the Master LLC may be exposed to counterparty credit risk, or the risk that an entity with which the Master LLC has unsettled or open transactions may fail to or be unable to perform on its commitments. The Master LLC manages counterparty credit risk by entering into transactions only with counterparties that it believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of those counterparties. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Master LLC to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks, consist principally of financial instruments and receivables due from counterparties. The extent of the Master LLC’s exposure to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks with respect to these financial assets is generally approximated by their value recorded in the Master LLC’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities, less any collateral held by the Master LLC.
Management has evaluated the impact of all subsequent events on the Master LLC through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that there were no subsequent events requiring adjustment or additional disclosure in the financial statements.
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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement |
The Board of Directors of the Master Value Opportunities LLC (the “Master Fund”) met on April 12, 2011 and May 10–11, 2011 to consider the approval of the Master Fund’s investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Manager”), the Master Fund’s investment advisor. The Board of Directors of the Master Fund also considered the approval of the sub-advisory agreement (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”) between the Manager and BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”), with respect to the Master Fund. The BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. (the “Feeder Fund”) is a “feeder” fund that invests all of its investable assets in the Master Fund. Accordingly, the Board of Directors of the Feeder Fund also considered the approval of the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to the Master Fund. The Manager and the Sub-Advisor are referred to herein as “BlackRock.” The Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement are referred to herein as the “Agreements.” For simplicity, the Board of Directors of the Master Fund and the Board of Directors of the Feeder Fund are referred to herein collectively as the “Board,” and the members are referred to as “Board Members.”
Activities and Composition of the Board
The Board consists of thirteen individuals, ten of whom are not “interested persons” of the Master Fund or the Feeder Fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) (the “Independent Board Members”). The Board Members are responsible for the oversight of the operations of the Master Fund or the Feeder Fund, as pertinent, and perform the various duties imposed on the directors of investment companies by the 1940 Act. The Independent Board Members have retained independent legal counsel to assist them in connection with their duties. The Chairman of the Board is an Independent Board Member. The Board has established five standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Governance and Nominating Committee, a Compliance Committee, a Performance Oversight Committee and an Executive Committee, each of which is composed of Independent Board Members (except for the Performance Oversight Committee and the Executive Committee, each of which also has one interested Board Member) and is chaired by Independent Board Members. The Board also established an ad hoc committee, the Joint Product Pricing Committee, which consisted of Independent Board Members and directors/trustees of the boards of certain other BlackRock-managed funds, who were not “interested persons” of their respective funds.
The Agreements
Pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Board is required to consider the continuation of the Agreements on an annual basis. In connection with this process, the Board assessed, among other things, the nature, scope and quality of the services provided to the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund by BlackRock, its personnel and its affiliates, including investment management, administrative and shareholder services, oversight of fund accounting and custody, marketing services, risk oversight, compliance program and assistance in meeting applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
The Board, acting directly and through its committees, considers at each of its meetings, and from time to time as appropriate, factors that are relevant to its annual consideration of the renewal of the Agreements, including the services and support provided by BlackRock to the Master Fund, the Feeder Fund and their shareholders. Among the matters the Board considered were: (a) investment performance for one-, three- and five-year periods, as applicable, against peer funds, and applicable benchmarks, if any, as well as senior management’s and portfolio managers’ analysis of the reasons for any over performance or underper-formance against its peers and/or benchmark, as applicable; (b) fees, including advisory, administration, if applicable, and other amounts paid to BlackRock and its affiliates by the Master Fund and/or the Feeder Fund for services, such as transfer agency, marketing and distribution, call center and fund accounting; (c) the Master Fund’s and/or the Feeder Fund’s operating expenses and how BlackRock allocates expenses to the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund; (d) the resources devoted to, risk oversight of, and compliance reports relating to, implementation of the Master Fund’s and the Feeder Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions; (e) the Master Fund’s and the Feeder Fund’s compliance with its respective Code of Ethics and other compliance policies and procedures; (f) the nature, cost and character of non-investment management services provided by BlackRock and its affiliates; (g) BlackRock’s and other service providers’ internal controls and risk and compliance oversight mechanisms; (h) BlackRock’s implementation of the proxy voting policies approved by the Board; (i) the use of brokerage commissions and execution quality of portfolio transactions; (j) BlackRock’s implementation of the Master Fund’s and/or the Feeder Fund’s valuation and liquidity procedures; (k) an analysis of contractual and actual management fees for products with similar investment objectives across the open-end fund, exchange traded fund (“ETF”), closed-end fund and institutional account product channels, as applicable; (l) BlackRock’s compensation methodology for its investment professionals and the incentives it creates; and (m) periodic updates on BlackRock’s business.
Board Considerations in Approving the Agreements
The Approval Process: Prior to the April 12, 2011 meeting, the Board requested and received materials specifically relating to the Agreements. The Board is engaged in a process with BlackRock to review periodically the nature and scope of the information provided to better assist its deliberations. The materials provided in connection with the April meeting included (a) information independently compiled and prepared by Lipper, Inc. (“Lipper”) on fees and expenses of the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund, as applicable, and the investment performance of the Feeder Fund as compared with a peer group of funds as determined by Lipper (collectively, “Peers”); (b) information on the profitability of the Agreements to BlackRock and a discussion of fall-out benefits to BlackRock and its affiliates and significant shareholders; (c) a general analysis provided by BlackRock concerning investment management fees (a combination of the advisory fee and the administration fee, if any) charged to other clients, such as institutional clients, ETFs and closed-end funds,
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28 | BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 |
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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement (continued) |
under similar investment mandates, as well as the performance of such other clients, as applicable; (d) the impact of economies of scale; (e) a summary of aggregate amounts paid by the Master Fund and/or the Feeder Fund to BlackRock; (f) sales and redemption data regarding the Feeder Fund’s shares; and (g) if applicable, a comparison of management fees to similar BlackRock open-end funds, as classified by Lipper.
At an in-person meeting held on April 12, 2011, the Board reviewed materials relating to its consideration of the Agreements. As a result of the discussions that occurred during the April 12, 2011 meeting, and as a culmination of the Board’s year-long deliberative process, the Board presented BlackRock with questions and requests for additional information. BlackRock responded to these requests with additional written information in advance of the May 10–11, 2011 Board meeting.
At an in-person meeting held on May 10–11, 2011, the Board of the Master Fund, including the Independent Board Members, unanimously approved the continuation of the Advisory Agreement between the Manager and the Master Fund and the Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Manager and the Sub-Advisor with respect to the Master Fund, each for a one-year term ending June 30, 2012. The Board of the Feeder Fund, including the Independent Board Members, also considered the continuation of the Agreements and found the Agreements to be satisfactory. In approving the continuation of the Agreements, the Board considered: (a) the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by BlackRock; (b) the investment performance of the Master Fund, the Feeder Fund and BlackRock; (c) the advisory fee and the cost of the services and profits to be realized by BlackRock and its affiliates from their relationship with the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund; (d) economies of scale; (e) fall-out benefits to BlackRock as a result of its relationship with the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund; and (f) other factors deemed relevant by the Board Members.
The Board also considered other matters it deemed important to the approval process, such as payments made to BlackRock or its affiliates relating to the distribution of Feeder Fund shares, services related to the valuation and pricing of portfolio holdings of the Master Fund, direct and indirect benefits to BlackRock and its affiliates and significant shareholders from their relationship with the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund and advice from independent legal counsel with respect to the review process and materials submitted for the Board’s review. The Board noted the willingness of BlackRock personnel to engage in open, candid discussions with the Board. The Board did not identify any particular information as controlling, and each Board Member may have attributed different weights to the various items considered.
A. Nature, Extent and Quality of the Services Provided by BlackRock:
The Board, including the Independent Board Members, reviewed the nature, extent and quality of services provided by BlackRock, including the investment advisory services and the resulting performance of the Feeder Fund. Throughout the year, the Board compared the Feeder Fund’s performance to the performance of a comparable group of mutual funds and/or the performance of a relevant benchmark, if any. The Board met with BlackRock’s senior management personnel responsible for investment operations, including the senior investment officers. The Board also reviewed the materials provided by the Master Fund’s portfolio management team discussing the Master Fund’s performance and the Master Fund’s investment objective, strategies and outlook.
The Board considered, among other factors, the number, education and experience of BlackRock’s investment personnel generally and the Master Fund’s portfolio management team, investments by portfolio managers in the funds they manage, BlackRock’s portfolio trading capabilities, BlackRock’s use of technology, BlackRock’s commitment to compliance, BlackRock’s credit analysis capabilities, BlackRock’s risk analysis capabilities and BlackRock’s approach to training and retaining portfolio managers and other research, advisory and management personnel. The Board engaged in a review of BlackRock’s compensation structure with respect to the Master Fund’s portfolio management team and BlackRock’s ability to attract and retain high-quality talent and create performance incentives.
In addition to advisory services, the Board considered the quality of the administrative and non-investment advisory services provided to the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund. BlackRock and its affiliates provide the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund with certain administrative, transfer agency, shareholder and other services (in addition to any such services provided to the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund by third parties) and officers and other personnel as are necessary for the operations of the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund. In addition to investment advisory services, BlackRock and its affiliates provide the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund with other services, including (i) preparing disclosure documents, such as the prospectus, the statement of additional information and periodic shareholder reports; (ii) assisting with daily accounting and pricing; (iii) overseeing and coordinating the activities of other service providers; (iv) organizing Board meetings and preparing the materials for such Board meetings; (v) providing legal and compliance support; and (vi) performing other administrative functions necessary for the operation of the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund, such as tax reporting, fulfilling regulatory filing requirements and call center services. The Board reviewed the structure and duties of BlackRock’s fund administration, accounting, legal and compliance departments and considered BlackRock’s policies and procedures for assuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
B. The Investment Performance of the Master Fund, the Feeder Fund and BlackRock: The Board, including the Independent Board Members, also reviewed and considered the performance history of the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund, as applicable. The Board noted that the Master Fund’s investment results correspond directly to the investment results of the Feeder Fund. In preparation for the April 12, 2011 meeting, the Board worked with BlackRock and Lipper to develop a template for, and was
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| BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 | 29 |
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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement (continued) |
provided with, reports independently prepared by Lipper, which included a comprehensive analysis of the Feeder Fund’s performance. The Board also reviewed a narrative and statistical analysis of the Lipper data that was prepared by BlackRock, which analyzed various factors that affect Lipper’s rankings. In connection with its review, the Board received and reviewed information regarding the investment performance of the Feeder Fund as compared to funds in the Feeder Fund’s applicable Lipper category. The Board was provided with a description of the methodology used by Lipper to select peer funds. The Board and the Board’s Performance Oversight Committee regularly review, and meet with Master Fund management to discuss, the performance of the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund, as applicable, throughout the year.
The Board noted that the Feeder Fund ranked in the first, fourth and fourth quartiles against its Lipper Performance Universe for the one-, three- and five-year periods reported, respectively. The Board and BlackRock reviewed and discussed the reasons for the Feeder Fund’s underperformance during the three- and five-year periods compared with its Peers. The Board was informed that, among other things, the biggest performance detractor was stock selection in the financials sector, as the Master Fund’s holdings were hit hard by the credit crisis. An underweight to utilities and an overweight to consumer discretionary sectors also detracted meaningfully during the credit crisis period.
The Board and BlackRock discussed BlackRock’s strategy for improving the Feeder Fund’s performance and BlackRock’s commitment to providing the resources necessary to assist the Master Fund’s portfolio managers and to improve the Feeder Fund’s performance.
The Board noted that BlackRock has made changes to the organization of the overall equity group management structure designed to result in a strengthened leadership team with clearer accountability.
C. Consideration of the Advisory/Management Fees and the Cost of the Services and Profits to be Realized by BlackRock and its Affiliates from their Relationship with the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund: The Board, including the Independent Board Members, reviewed the Master Fund’s/ Feeder Fund’s contractual management fee ratio compared with the other funds in the Master Fund’s/Feeder Fund’s Lipper category. It also compared the Feeder Fund’s total expense ratio, as well as the Master Fund’s/Feeder Fund’s actual management fee ratio, to those of other funds in the Feeder Fund’s Lipper category. The Board considered the services provided and the fees charged by BlackRock to other types of clients with similar investment mandates, including separately managed institutional accounts.
The Board received and reviewed statements relating to BlackRock’s financial condition and profitability with respect to the services it provided the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund. The Board was also provided with a profitability analysis that detailed the revenues earned and the expenses incurred by BlackRock for services provided to the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund. The Board reviewed BlackRock’s profitability with respect to the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund, as applicable, and other funds the Board currently oversees for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to available aggregate profitability data provided for the years ended December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008. The Board reviewed BlackRock’s profitability with respect to other fund complexes managed by the Manager and/or its affiliates. The Board reviewed BlackRock’s assumptions and methodology of allocating expenses in the profitability analysis, noting the inherent limitations in allocating costs among various advisory products. The Board recognized that profitability may be affected by numerous factors including, among other things, fee waivers and expense reimbursements by the Manager, the types of funds managed, expense allocations and business mix, and the difficulty of comparing profitability as a result of those factors.
The Board noted that, in general, individual fund or product line profitability of other advisors is not publicly available. The Board considered BlackRock’s operating margin, in general, compared to the operating margin for leading investment management firms whose operations include advising open-end funds, among other product types. That data indicates that operating margins for BlackRock, in general and with respect to its registered funds, are generally consistent with margins earned by similarly situated publicly traded competitors. In addition, the Board considered, among other things, certain third party data comparing BlackRock’s operating margin with that of other publicly-traded asset management firms. That third party data indicates that larger asset bases do not, in themselves, translate to higher profit margins.
In addition, the Board considered the cost of the services provided to the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund by BlackRock, and BlackRock’s and its affiliates’ profits relating to the management and distribution of the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund and the other funds advised by BlackRock and its affiliates. As part of its analysis, the Board reviewed BlackRock’s methodology in allocating its costs to the management of the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund. The Board also considered whether BlackRock has the financial resources necessary to attract and retain high quality investment management personnel to perform its obligations under the Agreements and to continue to provide the high quality of services that is expected by the Board.
The Board noted that the Feeder Fund’s/Master Fund’s contractual management fee ratio (a combination of the advisory fee and the administration fee, if any) was lower than or equal to the median contractual management fee ratio paid by the Feeder Fund’s Peers, in each case before taking into account any expense reimbursements or fee waivers. The Board also noted that the Master Fund has an advisory fee arrangement that includes breakpoints that adjust the fee ratio downward as the size of the Master Fund increases above certain contractually specified levels.
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30 | BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 |
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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement (concluded) |
D. Economies of Scale: The Board, including the Independent Board Members, considered the extent to which economies of scale might be realized as the assets of the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund increase. The Board also considered the extent to which the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund benefit from such economies and whether there should be changes in the advisory fee rate or structure in order to enable the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund to participate in these economies of scale, for example through the use of revised breakpoints in the advisory fee based upon the asset level of the Master Fund.
E. Other Factors Deemed Relevant by the Board Members: The Board, including the Independent Board Members, also took into account other ancillary or “fall-out” benefits that BlackRock or its affiliates and significant shareholders may derive from their respective relationships with the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund, both tangible and intangible, such as BlackRock’s ability to leverage its investment professionals who manage other portfolios and risk management personnel, an increase in BlackRock’s profile in the investment advisory community, and the engagement of BlackRock’s affiliates as service providers to the Master Fund and the Feeder Fund, including for administrative, transfer agency, distribution and securities lending services. The Board also considered BlackRock’s overall operations and its efforts to expand the scale of, and improve the quality of, its operations. The Board also noted that BlackRock may use and benefit from third party research obtained by soft dollars generated by certain registered fund transactions to assist in managing all or a number of its other client accounts. The Board further noted that BlackRock’s funds may invest in affiliated ETFs without any offset against the management fees payable by the funds to BlackRock.
In connection with its consideration of the Agreements, the Board also received information regarding BlackRock’s brokerage and soft dollar practices. The Board received reports from BlackRock which included information on brokerage commissions and trade execution practices throughout the year.
The Board noted the competitive nature of the open-end fund marketplace, and that shareholders are able to redeem their Feeder Fund shares if they believe that the Feeder Fund’s and/or the Master Fund’s fees and expenses are too high or if they are dissatisfied with the performance of the Feeder Fund.
Conclusion
The Board of the Master Fund, including the Independent Board Members, unanimously approved the continuation of the Advisory Agreement between the Manager and the Master Fund for a one-year term ending June 30, 2012 and the Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Manager and the Sub-Advisor, with respect to the Master Fund, for a one-year term ending June 30, 2012. As part of its approval, the Board of the Master Fund considered the detailed review of BlackRock’s fee structure, as it applies to the Master Fund, conducted by the ad hoc Joint Product Pricing Committee. Based upon its evaluation of all of the aforementioned factors in their totality, the Board of the Master Fund, including the Independent Board Members, was satisfied that the terms of the Agreements were fair and reasonable and in the best interest of the Master Fund and its shareholders. The Board of the Feeder Fund, including the Independent Board Members, also considered the continuation of the Agreements with respect to the Master Fund and found the Agreements to be satisfactory. In arriving at its decision to approve the Agreements, the Board of the Master Fund did not identify any single factor or group of factors as all-important or controlling, but considered all factors together, and different Board Members may have attributed different weights to the various factors considered. The Independent Board Members were also assisted by the advice of independent legal counsel in making this determination. The contractual fee arrangements for the Master Fund reflect the results of several years of review by the Board Members and predecessor Board Members, and discussions between such Board Members (and predecessor Board Members) and BlackRock. As a result, the Board Members’ conclusions may be based in part on their consideration of these arrangements in prior years
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| BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 | 31 |
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Robert M. Hernandez, Chairman of the Board and Director |
Fred G. Weiss, Vice Chairman of the Board and Director |
Paul L. Audet, Director |
James H. Bodurtha, Director |
Bruce R. Bond, Director |
Donald W. Burton, Director |
Honorable Stuart E. Eizenstat, Director |
Laurence D. Fink, Director |
Kenneth A. Froot, Director |
Henry Gabbay, Director |
John F. O’Brien, Director |
Roberta Cooper Ramo, Director |
David H. Walsh, Director |
John M. Perlowski, President and Chief Executive Officer |
Brendan Kyne, Vice President |
Neal Andrews, Chief Financial Officer |
Jay Fife, Treasurer |
Brian Kindelan, Chief Compliance Officer and
Anti-Money Laundering Officer |
Ira P. Shapiro, Secretary |
Investment Advisor and Administrator
BlackRock Advisors, LLC
Wilmington, DE 19809
Sub-Advisor
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC
Princeton, NJ 08540
Custodian
The Bank of New York Mellon
New York, NY 10286
Transfer Agent
BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.
Wilmington, DE 19809
Accounting Agent
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Boston, MA 02116
Distributor
BlackRock Investments, LLC
New York, NY 10022
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Boston, MA 02116
Legal Counsel
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
New York, NY 10019
Address of the Fund
100 Bellevue Parkway
Wilmington, DE 19809
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Effective September 13, 2011, Richard S. Davis resigned as Director of the Fund
and Master LLC, and Paul L. Audet became Director of the Fund and Master LLC. |
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32 | BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 |
Electronic Delivery
Electronic copies of most financial reports and prospectuses are available on the Fund’s website or shareholders can sign up for e-mail notifications of quarterly statements, annual and semi-annual reports and prospectuses by enrolling in the Fund’s electronic delivery program.
To enroll:
Shareholders Who Hold Accounts with Investment Advisors, Banks or Brokerages:
Please contact your financial advisor. Please note that not all investment advisors, banks or brokerages may offer this service.
Shareholders Who Hold Accounts Directly with BlackRock:
1) Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery
2) Select “eDelivery” under the “More Information” section
3) Log into your account
Householding
The Fund will mail only one copy of shareholder documents, including prospectuses, annual and semi-annual reports and proxy statements, to shareholders with multiple accounts at the same address. This practice is commonly called “householding” and is intended to reduce expenses and eliminate duplicate mailings of shareholder documents. Mailings of your shareholder documents may be householded indefinitely unless you instruct us otherwise. If you do not want the mailing of these documents to be combined with those for other members of your household, please call (800) 441-7762.
Availability of Quarterly Schedule of Investments
The Fund/Master LLC file their complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Fund’s/Master LLC’s Forms N-Q are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on how to access documents on the SEC’s website without charge may be obtained by calling (800) SEC-0330. The Fund’s/Master LLC’s Forms N-Q may also be obtained upon request and without charge by calling (800) 441-7762.
Availability of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund/Master LLC use to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling (800) 441-7762; (2) at http://www.blackrock.com; and (3) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
Availability of Proxy Voting Record
Information about how the Fund/Master LLC voted proxies relating to securities held in the Fund’s/Master LLC’s portfolio during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available upon request and without charge (1) at http://www.blackrock.com or by calling (800) 441-7762 and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
Account Information
Call us at (800) 441-7762 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST on any business day to get information about your account balances, recent transactions and share prices. You can also reach us on the Web at http://www.blackrock.com/funds.
Automatic Investment Plans
Investor Class shareholders who want to invest regularly can arrange to have $50 or more automatically deducted from their checking or savings account and invested in any of the BlackRock funds.
Systematic Withdrawal Plans
Investor Class shareholders can establish a systematic withdrawal plan and receive periodic payments of $50 or more from their BlackRock funds, as long as their account balance is at least $10,000.
Retirement Plans
Shareholders may make investments in conjunction with Traditional, Rollover, Roth, Coverdell, Simple IRAs, SEP IRAs and 403(b) Plans.
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| BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 | 33 |
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Additional Information (concluded) |
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BlackRock Privacy Principles |
BlackRock is committed to maintaining the privacy of its current and former fund investors and individual clients (collectively, “Clients”) and to safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information BlackRock collects, how we protect that information and why in certain cases we share such information with select parties.
If you are located in a jurisdiction where specific laws, rules or regulations require BlackRock to provide you with additional or different privacy-related rights beyond what is set forth below, then BlackRock will comply with those specific laws, rules or regulations.
BlackRock obtains or verifies personal non-public information from and about you from different sources, including the following: (i) information we receive from you or, if applicable, your financial intermediary, on applications, forms or other documents; (ii) information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others; (iii) information we receive from a consumer reporting agency; and (iv) from visits to our websites.
BlackRock does not sell or disclose to non-affiliated third parties any non-public personal information about its Clients, except as permitted by law or as is necessary to respond to regulatory requests or to service Client accounts. These non-affiliated third parties are required to protect the confidentiality and security of this information and to use it only for its intended purpose.
We may share information with our affiliates to service your account or to provide you with information about other BlackRock products or services that may be of interest to you. In addition, BlackRock restricts access to non-public personal information about its Clients to those BlackRock employees with a legitimate business need for the information. BlackRock maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that are designed to protect the non-public personal information of its Clients, including procedures relating to the proper storage and disposal of such information.
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34 | BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 |
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A World-Class Mutual Fund Family |
BlackRock offers a diverse lineup of open-end mutual funds crossing all investment styles and managed by experts in equity, fixed income and tax-exempt investing.
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Equity Funds |
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BlackRock ACWI ex-US Index Fund |
BlackRock All-Cap Energy & Resources Portfolio |
BlackRock Asset Allocation Portfolio† |
BlackRock Balanced Capital Fund† |
BlackRock Basic Value Fund |
BlackRock Capital Appreciation Fund |
BlackRock China Fund |
BlackRock Energy & Resources Portfolio |
BlackRock Equity Dividend Fund |
BlackRock EuroFund |
BlackRock Focus Growth Fund |
BlackRock Global Allocation Fund† |
BlackRock Global Dividend Income Portfolio |
BlackRock Global Dynamic Equity Fund |
BlackRock Global Emerging Markets Fund |
BlackRock Global Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Global SmallCap Fund |
BlackRock Health Sciences Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Index Equity Portfolio |
BlackRock India Fund |
BlackRock International Fund |
BlackRock International Index Fund |
BlackRock International Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Large Cap Core Fund |
BlackRock Large Cap Core Plus Fund |
BlackRock Large Cap Growth Fund |
BlackRock Large Cap Value Fund |
BlackRock Latin America Fund |
BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Portfolio |
BlackRock Mid-Cap Value Equity Portfolio |
BlackRock Mid Cap Value Opportunities Fund |
BlackRock Natural Resources Trust |
BlackRock Pacific Fund |
BlackRock Russell 1000 Index Fund |
BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio |
BlackRock Small Cap Growth Fund II |
BlackRock Small Cap Index Fund |
BlackRock S&P 500 Index Fund |
BlackRock S&P 500 Stock Fund |
BlackRock U.S. Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund |
BlackRock World Gold Fund |
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Fixed Income Funds |
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BlackRock Bond Index Fund |
BlackRock Core Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Emerging Market Debt Portfolio |
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
BlackRock GNMA Portfolio |
BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Income Builder Portfolio† |
BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock International Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Long Duration Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Total Return Fund |
BlackRock US Government Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock World Income Fund |
US Mortgage Portfolio |
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Municipal Bond Funds |
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BlackRock California Municipal Bond Fund |
BlackRock High Yield Municipal Fund |
BlackRock Intermediate Municipal Fund |
BlackRock National Municipal Fund |
BlackRock New Jersey Municipal Bond Fund |
BlackRock New York Municipal Bond Fund |
BlackRock Pennsylvania Municipal Bond Fund |
BlackRock Short-Term Municipal Fund |
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Target Risk & Target Date Funds† |
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BlackRock Prepared Portfolios |
Conservative Prepared Portfolio |
Moderate Prepared Portfolio |
Growth Prepared Portfolio |
Aggressive Growth Prepared Portfolio |
|
BlackRock Lifecycle Prepared Portfolios |
2015 |
2020 |
2025 |
2030 |
2035 |
2040 |
2045 |
2050 |
|
LifePath Portfolios |
Retirement |
2020 |
2025 |
2030 |
2035 |
2040 |
2045 |
2050 |
2055 |
|
LifePath Index Portfolios |
Retirement |
2020 |
2025 |
2030 |
2035 |
2040 |
2045 |
2050 |
2055 |
BlackRock mutual funds are currently distributed by BlackRock Investments, LLC. You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the funds under consideration carefully before investing. Each fund’s prospectus contains this and other information and is available at www.blackrock.com or by calling (800) 441-7762 or from your financial advisor. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing.
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| BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 | 35 |
This report is not authorized for use as an offer of sale or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of the Fund unless accompanied or preceded by the Fund’s current prospectus. Past performance results shown in this report should not be considered a representation of future performance. Investment returns and principal value of shares will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Statements and other information herein are as dated and are subject to change.
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#10253-9/11-SAR | 
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Item 2 – | Code of Ethics – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report |
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Item 3 – | Audit Committee Financial Expert – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report |
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Item 4 – | Principal Accountant Fees and Services – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report |
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Item 5 – | Audit Committee of Listed Registrants – Not Applicable |
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Item 6 – | Investments |
| (a) The registrants’ Schedules of Investments are included as part of the Report to Stockholders filed under Item 1 of this Form. |
| (b) Not Applicable due to no such divestments during the semi-annual period covered since the previous Form N-CSR filing. |
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Item 7 – | Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable |
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Item 8 – | Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable |
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Item 9 – | Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers – Not Applicable |
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Item 10 – | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders – There have been no material changes to these procedures. |
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Item 11 – | Controls and Procedures |
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| (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, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) are effective as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. |
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| (b) – There were no changes in the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act) that occurred during the second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrants’ internal control over financial reporting. |
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Item 12 – | Exhibits attached hereto |
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| (a)(1) – Code of Ethics – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report |
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| (a)(2) – Certifications – Attached hereto |
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| (a)(3) – Not Applicable |
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| (b) – Certifications – Attached hereto |
| Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, each registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. |
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| BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. and Master Value Opportunities LLC |
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| | By: | /s/ John M. Perlowski | |
| | | John M. Perlowski |
| | | Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of |
| | | BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. and Master Value Opportunities LLC |
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| | Date: November 30, 2011 |
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| | 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 each registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. |
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| | By: | /s/ John M. Perlowski | |
| | | John M. Perlowski |
| | | Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of |
| | | BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. and Master Value Opportunities LLC |
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| | Date: November 30, 2011 |
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| | By: | /s/ Neal J. Andrews | |
| | | Neal J. Andrews |
| | | Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of |
| | | BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. and Master Value Opportunities LLC |
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| | Date: November 30, 2011 |
![[PHOTO OF ROB KAPITO]](https://capedge.com/proxy/N-CSRS/0001171200-11-001071/i00512003_v1.jpg)
