------------------------- OMB APPROVAL ------------------------- OMB Number: 3235-0570 Expires: October 31, 2006 Estimated average burden hours per response: 19.3 ------------------------- 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: 811-07683 --------------------------------------- Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) 522 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10036 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code) Ronald E. Robison 522 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10036 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Name and address of agent for service) Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 212-296-6990 --------------------- Date of fiscal year end: July 31, 2008 ----------------- Date of reporting period: January 31, 2008 ----------------- Welcome, Shareholder: In this report, you'll learn about how your investment in Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund performed during the semiannual period. We will provide an overview of the market conditions, and discuss some of the factors that affected performance during the reporting period. In addition, this report includes the Fund's financial statements and a list of Fund investments. THIS MATERIAL MUST BE PRECEDED OR ACCOMPANIED BY A PROSPECTUS FOR THE FUND BEING OFFERED. MARKET FORECASTS PROVIDED IN THIS REPORT MAY NOT NECESSARILY COME TO PASS. THERE IS NO ASSURANCE THAT THE FUND WILL ACHIEVE ITS INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE. THE FUND IS SUBJECT TO MARKET RISK, WHICH IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT MARKET VALUES OF SECURITIES OWNED BY THE FUND WILL DECLINE AND, THEREFORE, THE VALUE OF THE FUND'S SHARES MAY BE LESS THAN WHAT YOU PAID FOR THEM. ACCORDINGLY, YOU CAN LOSE MONEY INVESTING IN THIS FUND. PLEASE SEE THE PROSPECTUS FOR MORE COMPLETE INFORMATION ON INVESTMENT RISKS. FUND REPORT For the six months ended January 31, 2008 TOTAL RETURN FOR THE 6 MONTHS ENDED JANUARY 31, 2008 <Table> <Caption> RUSSELL LIPPER 2000(R) SMALL-CAP VALUE CLASS A CLASS B CLASS C CLASS D VALUE INDEX(1) FUNDS INDEX(2) - -10.23% -10.56% -10.55% -10.07% -8.89% -10.15% </Table> The performance of the Fund's four share classes varies because each has different expenses. The Fund's total returns assume the reinvestment of all distributions but do not reflect the deduction of any applicable sales charges. Such costs would lower performance. See Performance Summary for standardized performance and benchmark information. MARKET CONDITIONS Broadly speaking, U.S. stocks declined in the six-month period ended January 31, 2008, with small-cap value stocks (as represented by the Russell 2000(R) Value Index) among the weakest performing segments. Early in the period, stocks were highly volatile as the subprime mortgage market's troubles spilled into the broader economy, and global credit markets tightened in response. Investors began to reassess risk, which fueled a rotation out of the higher yielding segments of the bond market into the relative safety of U.S. Treasury bonds. Moreover, market volatility further extended a slide in the U.S. dollar relative to major currencies. In August and September, the Federal Open Market Committee (the "Fed") began a series of reductions to both the discount rate (the rate at which member banks borrow from the central bank) and the target federal funds rate, which helped stabilize the financial markets and provided the system with needed liquidity. Weakening economic data coupled with high oil and other commodity prices, contributed to a grim outlook for the U.S. economy that dragged the market lower for the remainder of the period. Although the third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate was better than expected at 4.9 percent, fourth quarter GDP fell to a rate of 0.6 percent. Further disappointing investors during the period were weak consumer spending, manufacturing and employment data. Fallout from the subprime mortgage market and ongoing weakness in the housing market also remained evident: large financial institutions continued to post significant losses on investments related to these areas, and housing inventories and home foreclosures continued to rise. Investors seemed to find further validation of recession worries in responses from both the Fed and the federal government. The Fed made additional reductions in its target federal funds rate, including an emergency cut in January, and continued to indicate that they believe risks to economic growth remained present. The federal government put forth an economic stimulus package in recognition of the slowing economy and the potential difficulties for consumers ahead. In this environment, small-cap value stocks (in which the Fund invests) lagged the broad market. As the risks to future economic growth intensified, investors rotated into areas of the market which they believed were more likely to withstand a downdraft in the economy. Growth-oriented and large-cap stocks benefited from this trend because of their perceived ability to achieve growth in the absence of a broader economic upswing. On a sector basis, sectors tied to consumer spending or the economic cycle fared the worst. The consumer discretionary, producer durables 2 and technology sectors had the lowest returns for the six-month period. Conversely, the classic "defensive" sectors -- or those that are less reliant on an economic tailwind to generate growth -- such as health care, utilities and consumer staples performed well. PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS All share classes of Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund underperformed the Russell 2000(R) Value Index for the six months ended January 31, 2008, assuming no deduction of applicable sales charges. The Fund's Class A, B, and C shares underperformed the Lipper Small-Cap Value Funds Index for the same period, assuming no deduction of applicable sales charges, while the Class D shares outperformed. Among the Fund's weakest performing areas for the period, relative to the Russell 2000 Value Index was the financial services sector, in which the Fund's relative underweight position and stock selection both dampened relative performance. In particular, the Fund held a significant underweight to banks and therefore had less exposure to the group's rebound in January when investors grew optimistic that the Fed's rate cuts would benefit the troubled banking industry. Additionally, weak results of several holdings in insurance stocks and a position in a real estate investment trust hampered the Fund's performance. Overweight positions in the consumer discretionary and producer durables sectors amplified the Fund's exposure to these sectors' declining performance, further driving the Fund's overall relative underperformance. In contrast, the Fund showed positive relative performance in other areas. Notably, an overweight allocation and stock selection in the health care sector bolstered returns. Two of the Fund's health care holdings generated standout performance due to company specific reasons. Stock selection in the energy sector was another positive contributor, led by good performance of some exploration and production holdings. The technology sector was not a particularly strong area for the Fund during the period under review, but the Fund did avoid some of the worst performing names and its holdings declined less severely than the Russell 2000 Value Index's technology sector. As a result, the Fund held its value better than the Index within that sector. There is no guarantee that any sectors mentioned will continue to perform as discussed herein or that securities in such sectors will be held by the Fund in the future. 3 <Table> <Caption> TOP 10 HOLDINGS MAXIMUS, Inc. 4.1% DRS Technologies, Inc. 3.2 Belden Inc. 2.8 Sciele Pharma, Inc. 2.2 Rock-Tenn Co. (Class A) 2.1 Consolidated Graphics, Inc. 2.0 IKON Office Solutions, Inc. 1.9 Electronics for Imaging, Inc. 1.9 Brink's Co. (The) 1.9 Max Capital Group Ltd. (Bermuda) 1.9 </Table> <Table> <Caption> TOP FIVE INDUSTRIES Miscellaneous Commercial Services 10.0% Aerospace & Defense 6.1 Property/Casualty Insurance 5.7 Electrical Products 4.1 Investment Company 3.7 </Table> Data as of January 31, 2008. Subject to change daily. All percentages for top 10 holdings and top five industries are as a percentage of net assets. These data are provided for informational purposes only and should not be deemed a recommendation to buy or sell the securities mentioned. Morgan Stanley is a full-service securities firm engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities, investment banking, research and analysis, financing and financial advisory services. INVESTMENT STRATEGY THE FUND WILL NORMALLY INVEST AT LEAST 80 PERCENT OF ITS ASSETS IN COMMON STOCKS OF SMALL COMPANIES THAT THE FUND'S "INVESTMENT ADVISER," MORGAN STANLEY INVESTMENT ADVISORS INC., BELIEVES ARE UNDERVALUED RELATIVE TO THE MARKETPLACE OR SIMILAR COMPANIES. COMPANIES WITHIN A CAPITALIZATION RANGE OF $100 MILLION TO $2 BILLION ARE CONSIDERED SMALL COMPANIES. THE FUND MAY INVEST IN FOREIGN SECURITIES (INCLUDING DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS) THAT ARE LISTED IN THE UNITED STATES ON A NATIONAL SECURITIES EXCHANGE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS EACH MORGAN STANLEY FUND PROVIDES A COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS IN ITS SEMIANNUAL AND ANNUAL REPORTS WITHIN 60 DAYS OF THE END OF THE FUND'S SECOND AND FOURTH FISCAL QUARTERS. THE SEMIANNUAL REPORTS AND THE ANNUAL REPORTS ARE FILED ELECTRONICALLY WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC) ON FORM N-CSRS AND FORM N-CSR, RESPECTIVELY. MORGAN STANLEY ALSO DELIVERS THE SEMIANNUAL AND ANNUAL REPORTS TO FUND SHAREHOLDERS AND MAKES THESE REPORTS AVAILABLE ON ITS PUBLIC WEB SITE, WWW.MORGANSTANLEY.COM. EACH MORGAN STANLEY FUND ALSO FILES A COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS WITH THE SEC FOR THE FUND'S FIRST AND THIRD FISCAL QUARTERS ON FORM N-Q. MORGAN STANLEY DOES NOT DELIVER THE REPORTS FOR THE FIRST AND THIRD FISCAL QUARTERS TO SHAREHOLDERS, NOR ARE THE REPORTS POSTED TO THE MORGAN STANLEY PUBLIC WEB SITE. YOU MAY, HOWEVER, OBTAIN THE FORM N-Q FILINGS (AS WELL AS THE FORM N-CSR AND N-CSRS FILINGS) BY ACCESSING THE SEC'S WEB SITE, HTTP://WWW.SEC.GOV. YOU MAY ALSO REVIEW AND COPY THEM AT THE SEC'S PUBLIC REFERENCE ROOM IN WASHINGTON, DC. INFORMATION ON THE OPERATION OF THE SEC'S PUBLIC REFERENCE ROOM MAY BE OBTAINED BY CALLING THE SEC AT (800) SEC- 0330. YOU CAN ALSO REQUEST COPIES OF THESE MATERIALS, UPON PAYMENT OF A DUPLICATING FEE, BY ELECTRONIC 4 REQUEST AT THE SEC'S E-MAIL ADDRESS (PUBLICINFO@SEC.GOV) OR BY WRITING THE PUBLIC REFERENCE SECTION OF THE SEC, WASHINGTON, DC 20549-0102. PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES AND PROXY VOTING RECORD YOU MAY OBTAIN A COPY OF THE FUND'S PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES WITHOUT CHARGE, UPON REQUEST, BY CALLING TOLL FREE (800) 869-NEWS OR BY VISITING THE MUTUAL FUND CENTER ON OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.MORGANSTANLEY.COM. IT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION'S WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SEC.GOV. YOU MAY OBTAIN INFORMATION REGARDING HOW THE FUND VOTED PROXIES RELATING TO PORTFOLIO SECURITIES DURING THE MOST RECENT TWELVE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED JUNE 30 WITHOUT CHARGE BY VISITING THE MUTUAL FUND CENTER ON OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.MORGANSTANLEY.COM. THIS INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION'S WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SEC.GOV. HOUSEHOLDING NOTICE TO REDUCE PRINTING AND MAILING COSTS, THE FUND ATTEMPTS TO ELIMINATE DUPLICATE MAILINGS TO THE SAME ADDRESS. THE FUND DELIVERS A SINGLE COPY OF CERTAIN SHAREHOLDER DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING SHAREHOLDER REPORTS, PROSPECTUSES AND PROXY MATERIALS, TO INVESTORS WITH THE SAME LAST NAME WHO RESIDE AT THE SAME ADDRESS. YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE FOR AN UNLIMITED PERIOD OF TIME UNLESS YOU INSTRUCT US OTHERWISE. YOU CAN REQUEST MULTIPLE COPIES OF THESE DOCUMENTS BY CALLING (800) 869-NEWS, 8:00 A.M. TO 8:00 P.M., ET. ONCE OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER HAS RECEIVED YOUR INSTRUCTIONS, WE WILL BEGIN SENDING INDIVIDUAL COPIES FOR EACH ACCOUNT WITHIN 30 DAYS. 5 PERFORMANCE SUMMARY AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS -- PERIOD ENDED JANUARY 31, 2008 CLASS A SHARES* CLASS B SHARES** CLASS C SHARES(+) CLASS D SHARES(++) (since 07/28/97) (since 10/29/96) (since 07/28/97) (since 07/28/97) SYMBOL SVFAX SVFBX SVFCX SVFDX 1 YEAR (6.82)%(3) (7.49)%(3) (7.54)%(3) (6.53)%(3) (11.72) (4) (10.90) (4) (8.22) (4) -- 5 YEARS 16.24 (3) 15.35 (3) 15.39 (3) 16.52 (3) 14.99 (4) 15.15 (4) 15.39 (4) -- 10 YEARS 9.97 (3) 9.31 (3) 9.16 (3) 10.22 (3) 9.38 (4) 9.31 (4) 9.16 (4) -- SINCE INCEPTION 10.14 (3) 10.74 (3) 9.33 (3) 10.39 (3) 9.57 (4) 10.74 (4) 9.33 (4) -- Performance data quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results and current performance may be lower or higher than the figures shown. For most recent month-end performance figures, please visit www.morganstanley.com/msim or speak with your Financial Advisor. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate and fund shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. The table does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Performance for Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D shares will vary due to differences in sales charges and expenses. * The maximum front-end sales charge for Class A is 5.25%. ** The maximum contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) for Class B is 5.0%. The CDSC declines to 0% after six years. Effective April 2005, Class B shares will generally convert to Class A shares approximately eight years after the end of the calendar month in which the shares were purchased. Performance for periods greater than eight years reflects this conversion (beginning April 2005). + The maximum contingent deferred sales charge for Class C is 1.0% for shares redeemed within one year of purchase. ++ Class D has no sales charge. (1) The Russell 2000(R) Value Index measures the performance of those companies in the Russell 2000(R) Index with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Index is unmanaged and its returns do not include any sales charges or fees. Such costs would lower performance. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. (2) The Lipper Small-Cap Value Funds Index is an equally weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Small-Cap Value Funds classification. The Index, which is adjusted for capital gains distributions and income dividends, is unmanaged and should not be considered an investment. There are currently 30 funds represented in this Index. The Fund is in the Lipper Small-Cap Value Funds classification as of the date of this report. (3) Figure shown assumes reinvestment of all distributions and does not reflect the deduction of any sales charges. (4) Figure shown assumes reinvestment of all distributions and the deduction of the maximum applicable sales charge. See the Fund's current prospectus for complete details on fees and sales charges. 6 EXPENSE EXAMPLE As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments and redemption fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including advisory fees; distribution and service (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period 08/01/07 - 01/31/08. ACTUAL EXPENSES The first line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled "Expenses Paid During Period" to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES The second line of the table below provides information about hypothetical expenses based on the Fund's actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund's actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing cost of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds. Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) and redemption fees. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs, and will not help you determine the relative total cost of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher. <Table> <Caption> BEGINNING ENDING EXPENSES PAID ACCOUNT VALUE ACCOUNT VALUE DURING PERIOD* ------------- ------------- -------------- 08/01/07 - 08/01/07 01/31/08 01/31/08 ------------- ------------- -------------- CLASS A Actual (-10.23% return)........................ $1,000.00 $ 897.70 $ 5.87 Hypothetical (5% annual return before expenses).................................... $1,000.00 $1,018.95 $ 6.24 CLASS B Actual (-10.56% return)........................ $1,000.00 $ 894.40 $ 9.43 Hypothetical (5% annual return before expenses).................................... $1,000.00 $1,015.18 $10.03 CLASS C Actual (-10.55% return)........................ $1,000.00 $ 894.50 $ 9.43 Hypothetical (5% annual return before expenses).................................... $1,000.00 $1,015.18 $10.03 CLASS D Actual (-10.07% return)........................ $1,000.00 $ 899.30 $ 4.68 Hypothetical (5% annual return before expenses).................................... $1,000.00 $1,020.21 $ 4.98 </Table> - --------- * Expenses are equal to the Fund's annualized expense ratios of 1.23%, 1.98%, 1.98% and 0.98% for Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D shares, respectively, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184/366 (to reflect the one-half year period). 7 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) <Table> <Caption> NUMBER OF SHARES VALUE - ------------------------------------------------- Common Stocks (95.0%) Aerospace & Defense (6.1%) 213,480 AAR Corp.*.............. $ 6,289,121 263,200 DRS Technologies, Inc. ................. 14,125,944 146,500 Moog Inc. (Class A)*.... 6,744,860 ------------ 27,159,925 ------------ Agricultural Commodities/ Milling (1.7%) 216,600 Corn Products International, Inc. .. 7,321,080 ------------ Air Freight/Couriers (1.9%) 113,600 Forward Air Corp. ...... 3,521,600 282,900 Pacer International, Inc. ................. 4,846,077 ------------ 8,367,677 ------------ Apparel/Footwear Retail (2.8%) 254,235 Maidenform Brands, Inc.*................. 3,152,514 337,650 Stage Stores, Inc. ..... 4,041,671 164,300 Tween Brands Inc.*...... 5,262,529 ------------ 12,456,714 ------------ Broadcasting (1.8%) 313,200 Lin TV Corp. (Class A)*................... 4,087,260 432,300 Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Class A).................... 3,890,700 ------------ 7,977,960 ------------ Chemicals: Major Diversified (1.5%) 380,913 Hercules Inc. .......... 6,677,405 ------------ Chemicals: Specialty (1.4%) 113,100 Cytec Industries, Inc. ................. 6,402,591 ------------ Commercial Printing/Forms (3.5%) 489,400 Cenveo Inc.*............ 7,605,276 156,100 Consolidated Graphics, Inc.*................. 7,853,391 ------------ 15,458,667 ------------ Computer Peripherals (1.9%) 578,700 Electronics for Imaging, Inc.*................. 8,541,612 ------------ Construction Materials (0.2%) 297,200 Dayton Superior Corp.*.. 722,196 ------------ Consumer Sundries (0.3%) 199,100 Central Garden & Pet Co.*.................. 1,093,059 ------------ Containers/Packaging (3.2%) 331,342 Rock-Tenn Co. (Class A).................... 9,473,068 95,400 Silgan Holdings, Inc. .. 4,518,144 ------------ 13,991,212 ------------ Electric Utilities (1.7%) 268,900 Avista Corp. ........... 5,418,335 109,450 PNM Resources Inc. ..... 2,114,574 ------------ 7,532,909 ------------ Electrical Products (4.1%) 131,700 Acuity Brands, Inc. .... 5,993,667 289,207 Belden CDT Inc. ........ 12,233,456 ------------ 18,227,123 ------------ Electronic Production Equipment (1.0%) 283,200 Cognex Corp. ........... 4,332,960 ------------ Engineering & Construction (1.6%) 116,300 Aecom Technology Corp.*................ 2,864,469 133,300 Stantec Inc.*........... 4,158,960 ------------ 7,023,429 ------------ Finance/Rental/Leasing (3.2%) 278,600 AerCap Holdings NV (Netherlands)*........ 5,142,956 188,000 Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.*................. 4,589,080 208,623 TAL International Group, Inc. ................. 4,593,878 ------------ 14,325,914 ------------ Financial Conglomerates (2.4%) 613,600 Conseco Inc.*........... 7,387,744 90,400 National Financial Partners Corp. ....... 3,263,440 ------------ 10,651,184 ------------ </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 8 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) continued <Table> <Caption> NUMBER OF SHARES VALUE - ------------------------------------------------- Gas Distributors (0.8%) 139,600 UGI Corp. .............. $ 3,716,152 ------------ Industrial Machinery (2.2%) 182,100 Actuant Corp. (Class A).................... 4,976,793 113,416 CIRCOR International, Inc. ................. 4,812,241 ------------ 9,789,034 ------------ Industrial Specialties (2.2%) 119,500 Polypore International Inc.*................. 2,219,115 444,900 Zep Inc. ............... 7,349,748 ------------ 9,568,863 ------------ Information Technology Services (2.0%) 307,639 MTC Technologies, Inc.*................. 7,257,204 166,300 Ness Technologies Inc.*................. 1,528,297 ------------ 8,785,501 ------------ Medical Specialties (1.5%) 69,540 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (Class A)*....... 6,620,903 ------------ Medical/Nursing Services (1.8%) 206,750 Apria Healthcare Group, Inc.*................. 4,387,235 242,100 Pharmerica Corp.*....... 3,592,764 ------------ 7,979,999 ------------ Metal Fabrications (0.6%) 43,230 General Cable Corp.*.... 2,507,772 ------------ Miscellaneous Commercial Services (10.0%) 137,900 Brink's Co. (The)....... 8,360,877 309,100 Gartner, Inc.*.......... 4,590,135 1,046,900 IKON Office Solutions, Inc. ................. 8,563,642 513,010 MAXIMUS, Inc. .......... 18,098,993 177,000 Viad Corp. ............. 4,734,750 ------------ 44,348,397 ------------ Miscellaneous Manufacturing (0.7%) 91,200 Smith (A.O.) Corp. ..... 3,192,000 ------------ Multi-Line Insurance (1.9%) 291,600 Max Re Capital Ltd. (Bermuda)............. 8,278,524 ------------ Office Equipment/Supplies (1.7%) 561,163 ACCO Brands Corp.*...... 7,603,759 ------------ Oil & Gas Production (1.0%) 122,180 St. Mary Land & Exploration Co. ...... 4,304,401 ------------ Oilfield Services/Equipment (1.8%) 48,372 Exterran Holdings Inc.*................. 3,155,789 122,870 Superior Energy Services, Inc.*....... 4,925,858 ------------ 8,081,647 ------------ Packaged Software (1.7%) 577,128 MSC. Software Corp.*.... 7,491,121 ------------ Pharmaceuticals: Generic Drugs (1.0%) 407,600 Valeant Pharmaceuticals International*........ 4,614,032 ------------ Pharmaceuticals: Other (3.3%) 166,720 Perrigo Co. ............ 5,141,645 398,900 Sciele Pharma, Inc.*.... 9,541,688 ------------ 14,683,333 ------------ Property - Casualty Insurers (5.7%) 271,300 AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. ....... 4,259,410 123,700 Argo Group International*........ 5,051,908 303,200 Employers Holdings, Inc. ................. 5,293,872 181,700 Platinum Underwriters Holdings Ltd. (ADR) (Bermuda)............. 6,132,375 221,724 United America Indemnity, Ltd. (Class A) (Cayman Islands)*.. 4,547,559 ------------ 25,285,124 ------------ </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 9 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) continued <Table> <Caption> NUMBER OF SHARES VALUE - ------------------------------------------------- Publishing: Books/Magazines (0.4%) 86,400 Dolan Media Company*.... $ 1,952,640 ------------ Real Estate Investment Trusts (1.4%) 348,100 Anthracite Capital, Inc. ................. 2,614,231 128,700 LaSalle Hotel Properties............ 3,527,667 ------------ 6,141,898 ------------ Regional Banks (1.3%) 126,172 Integra Bank Corp. ..... 1,873,654 295,930 Provident New York Bancorp............... 4,083,834 ------------ 5,957,488 ------------ Restaurants (2.1%) 434,100 AFC Enterprises, Inc.*.. 4,024,107 1,506,580 Denny's Corp.*.......... 5,107,306 ------------ 9,131,413 ------------ Savings Banks (0.5%) 76,604 MB Financial, Inc. ..... 2,382,384 ------------ Semiconductors (0.9%) 237,727 Cirrus Logic, Inc.*..... 1,010,340 122,900 Microsemi Corp.*........ 2,792,288 ------------ 3,802,628 ------------ Specialty Insurance (1.6%) 123,786 ProAssurance Corp.*..... 7,142,452 ------------ Specialty Telecommunications (1.6%) 455,886 Syniverse Holdings Inc.*................. 7,198,440 ------------ Telecommunication Equipment (2.0%) 98,400 Adtran, Inc. ........... 2,047,704 582,900 Tekelec*................ 6,988,971 ------------ 9,036,675 ------------ Textiles (1.5%) 182,600 Albany International Corp. (Class A)....... 6,392,828 ------------ Investment Trusts/Mutual Funds (1.5%) 99,600 iShares Russell 2000 Value Index Fund (ETF)................. 6,744,912 ------------ Total Common Stocks (Cost $368,103,182)..... 420,997,937 ------------ </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 10 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) continued <Table> <Caption> PRINCIPAL AMOUNT IN THOUSANDS VALUE - ----------------------------------------------------------------- Convertible Bond (1.0%) Information Technology Services $ 5,173 Epicor Software Corp. 2.375% due 05/15/27 (Cost $4,690,832)...... $ 4,571,639 ------------- <Caption> NUMBER OF SHARES (000) - ------------ Short-Term Investment (3.7%) Investment Company (a) 16,188 Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio - Institutional Class (Cost $16,187,923)............... 16,187,923 ------------- Total Investments (Cost $388,981,937) (b)........... 99.7% 441,757,499 Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities................. 0.3 1,547,675 ----- ------------- Net Assets.................. 100.0% $ 443,305,174 ===== ============= </Table> - ---------- <Table> ADR American Depositary Receipt. ETF Exchanged Traded Fund. * Non-income producing security. (a) See Note 4 to the financial statements regarding investments in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio - Institutional Class. (b) The aggregate cost for federal income tax purposes approximates the aggregate cost for book purposes. The aggregate gross unrealized appreciation is $89,882,625 and the aggregate gross unrealized depreciation is $37,107,063 resulting in net unrealized appreciation of $52,775,562. </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 11 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund SUMMARY OF INVESTMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) <Table> <Caption> PERCENT OF TOTAL INDUSTRY VALUE INVESTMENTS - ------------------------------------------------- Miscellaneous Commercial Services........... $ 44,348,397 10.0% Aerospace & Defense.. 27,159,925 6.2 Property -- Casualty Insurers........... 25,285,124 5.7 Electrical Products.. 18,227,123 4.1 Investment Company... 16,187,923 3.7 Commercial Printing/Forms..... 15,458,667 3.5 Pharmaceuticals: Other.............. 14,683,333 3.3 Finance/Rental/Leas- ing................ 14,325,914 3.2 Containers/Packag- ing................ 13,991,212 3.2 Information Technology Services........... 13,357,140 3.0 Apparel/Footwear Retail............. 12,456,714 2.8 Financial Conglomerates...... 10,651,184 2.4 Industrial Machinery.......... 9,789,034 2.2 Industrial Specialties........ 9,568,863 2.2 Restaurants.......... 9,131,413 2.1 Telecommunication Equipment.......... 9,036,675 2.0 Computer Peripherals........ 8,541,612 1.9 Air Freight/Couriers... 8,367,677 1.9 Multi-Line Insurance.......... 8,278,524 1.9 Oilfield Services/Equip- ment............... 8,081,647 1.8 Medical/Nursing Services........... 7,979,999 1.8 Broadcasting......... 7,977,960 1.8 Office Equipment/Sup- plies.............. 7,603,759 1.7 Electric Utilities... 7,532,909 1.7 Packaged Software.... 7,491,121 1.7 Agricultural Commodities/Mil- ling............... 7,321,080 1.7 Specialty Telecommunica- tions.............. 7,198,440 1.6 Specialty Insurance.. 7,142,452 1.6 Engineering & Construction....... 7,023,429 1.6 Investment Trusts/Mutual Funds.............. 6,744,912 1.5 Chemicals: Major Diversified........ 6,677,405 1.5 Medical Specialties.. 6,620,903 1.5 Chemicals: Specialty.......... 6,402,591 1.5 Textiles............. 6,392,828 1.4 Real Estate Investment Trusts.. 6,141,898 1.4 Regional Banks....... 5,957,488 1.4 Pharmaceuticals: Generic Drugs...... 4,614,032 1.0 Electronic Production Equipment.......... 4,332,960 1.0 Oil & Gas Production......... 4,304,401 1.0 Semiconductors....... 3,802,628 0.9 Gas Distributors..... 3,716,152 0.9 Miscellaneous Manufacturing...... 3,192,000 0.7 Metal Fabrications... 2,507,772 0.6 Savings Banks........ 2,382,384 0.5 Publishing: Books/Magazines.... 1,952,640 0.4 Consumer Sundries.... 1,093,059 0.3 Construction Materials.......... 722,196 0.2 ------------ ----- $441,757,499 100.0% ============ ===== </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 12 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Statement of Assets and Liabilities January 31, 2008 (unaudited) <Table> Assets: Investments in securities, at value (cost $372,794,014)........................................... $425,569,576 Investment in affiliate, at value (cost $16,187,923)............ 16,187,923 Receivable for: Investments sold............................................. 6,560,396 Shares of beneficial interest sold........................... 257,178 Dividends.................................................... 100,218 Dividends from affiliate..................................... 67,318 Interest..................................................... 26,263 Prepaid expenses and other assets............................... 45,014 ------------ Total Assets................................................. 448,813,886 ------------ Liabilities: Payable for: Investments purchased........................................ 2,609,626 Shares of beneficial interest redeemed....................... 2,337,188 Investment advisory fee...................................... 249,632 Distribution fee............................................. 196,555 Administration fee........................................... 30,304 Transfer agent fee........................................... 9,367 Accrued expenses and other payables............................. 76,040 ------------ Total Liabilities............................................ 5,508,712 ------------ Net Assets................................................... $443,305,174 ============ Composition of Net Assets: Paid-in-capital................................................. $373,253,898 Net unrealized appreciation..................................... 52,775,562 Accumulated net investment loss................................. (1,120,208) Accumulated undistributed net realized gain..................... 18,395,922 ------------ Net Assets................................................... $443,305,174 ============ Class A Shares: Net Assets...................................................... $237,391,097 Shares Outstanding (unlimited authorized, $.01 par value)....... 18,482,419 Net Asset Value Per Share.................................... $12.84 ====== Maximum Offering Price Per Share, (net asset value plus 5.54% of net asset value).............. $13.55 ====== Class B Shares: Net Assets...................................................... $141,049,261 Shares Outstanding (unlimited authorized, $.01 par value)....... 12,900,654 Net Asset Value Per Share.................................... $10.93 ====== Class C Shares: Net Assets...................................................... $28,378,865 Shares Outstanding (unlimited authorized, $.01 par value)....... 2,590,799 Net Asset Value Per Share.................................... $10.95 ====== Class D Shares: Net Assets...................................................... $36,485,951 Shares Outstanding (unlimited authorized, $.01 par value)....... 2,711,042 Net Asset Value Per Share.................................... $13.46 ====== </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 13 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued Statement of Operations For the six months ended January 31, 2008 (unaudited) <Table> Net Investment Loss: Income Dividends (net of $42,875 foreign withholding tax)............. $ 2,315,253 Dividends from affiliate....................................... 704,000 Interest....................................................... 9,229 ------------- Total Income................................................ 3,028,482 ------------- Expenses Investment advisory fee........................................ 1,844,428 Distribution fee (Class A shares).............................. 362,431 Distribution fee (Class B shares).............................. 914,108 Distribution fee (Class C shares).............................. 173,208 Transfer agent fees and expenses............................... 483,289 Administration fee............................................. 221,111 Shareholder reports and notices................................ 53,499 Professional fees.............................................. 30,873 Custodian fees................................................. 27,590 Registration fees.............................................. 27,158 Trustees' fees and expenses.................................... 6,323 Other.......................................................... 25,852 ------------- Total Expenses.............................................. 4,169,870 Less: amounts waived/reimbursed................................ (18,252) Less: expenses offset.......................................... (3,170) ------------- Net Expenses................................................ 4,148,448 ------------- Net Investment Loss......................................... (1,119,966) ------------- Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss): Net Realized Gain.............................................. 52,915,891 Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation/Depreciation............. (107,963,592) ------------- Net Loss.................................................... (55,047,701) ------------- Net Decrease................................................... $ (56,167,667) ============= </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 14 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued Statements of Changes in Net Assets <Table> <Caption> FOR THE SIX FOR THE YEAR MONTHS ENDED ENDED JANUARY 31, 2008 JULY 31, 2007 ---------------- ------------- (unaudited) Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets: Operations: Net investment loss................................. $ (1,119,966) $ (3,224,740) Net realized gain................................... 52,915,891 114,543,461 Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation.. (107,963,592) 10,521,272 ------------- ------------- Net Increase (Decrease).......................... (56,167,667) 121,839,993 ------------- ------------- Distributions to Shareholders from Net Realized Gain: Class A shares...................................... (62,182,270) (82,437,851) Class B shares...................................... (43,431,875) (73,592,274) Class C shares...................................... (8,652,023) (11,094,944) Class D shares...................................... (9,280,916) (14,206,590) ------------- ------------- Total Distributions.............................. (123,547,084) (181,331,659) ------------- ------------- Net increase from transactions in shares of beneficial interest............................... 11,581,805 44,438,408 ------------- ------------- Net Decrease..................................... (168,132,946) (15,053,258) Net Assets: Beginning of period................................. 611,438,120 626,491,378 ------------- ------------- End of Period (Including accumulated net investment losses of $1,120,208 and $242, respectively).................. $ 443,305,174 $ 611,438,120 ============= ============= </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 15 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) 1. Organization and Accounting Policies Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund (the "Fund") is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), as a diversified, open- end management investment company. The Fund's investment objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation. The Fund was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on June 21, 1996 and commenced operations on October 29, 1996. On July 28, 1997, the Fund converted to a multiple class share structure. The Fund offers Class A shares, Class B shares, Class C shares and Class D shares. The four classes are substantially the same except that most Class A shares are subject to a sales charge imposed at the time of purchase and some Class A shares, and most Class B shares and Class C shares are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge imposed on shares redeemed within eighteen months, six years and one year, respectively. Class D shares are not subject to a sales charge. Additionally, Class A shares, Class B shares and Class C shares incur distribution expenses. The Fund will assess a 2% redemption fee, on Class A shares, Class B shares, Class C shares and Class D shares, which is paid directly to the Fund, for shares redeemed or exchanged within thirty days of purchase, subject to certain exceptions. The redemption fee is designed to protect the Fund and its remaining shareholders from the effects of short-term trading. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies: A. Valuation of Investments -- (1) an equity portfolio security listed or traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") or American Stock Exchange or other exchange is valued at its latest sale price prior to the time when assets are valued; if there were no sales that day, the security is valued at the mean between the last reported bid and asked price; (2) an equity portfolio security listed or traded on the Nasdaq is valued at the Nasdaq Official Closing Price; if there were no sales that day, the security is valued at the mean between the last reported bid and asked price; (3) all other portfolio securities for which over-the-counter market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean between the last reported bid and asked price. In cases where a security is traded on more than one exchange, the security is valued on the exchange designated as the primary market; (4) for equity securities traded on foreign exchanges, the last reported sale price or the latest bid price may be used if there were no sales on a particular day; (5) when market quotations are not readily available including circumstances under which Morgan Stanley Investment Advisors Inc. (the "Investment Adviser") determines that the latest sale price, the bid price or the mean between the last reported bid and asked price do not reflect a security's market value, portfolio securities are valued at their fair value as determined in good faith under procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Fund's Trustees. Occasionally, developments affecting the closing prices of securities and other 16 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) continued assets may occur between the times at which valuations of such securities are determined (that is, close of the foreign market on which the securities trade) and the close of business on the NYSE. If developments occur during such periods that are expected to materially affect the value of such securities, such valuations may be adjusted to reflect the estimated fair value of such securities as of the close of the NYSE, as determined in good faith by the Fund's Trustees or by the Investment Adviser using a pricing service and/or procedures approved by the Trustees of the Fund; (6) certain portfolio securities may be valued by an outside pricing service approved by the Fund's Trustees; (7) investments in open-end mutual funds, including the Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds, are valued at net asset value as of the close of each business day; and (8) short-term debt securities having a maturity date of more than sixty days at time of purchase are valued on a mark-to-market basis until sixty days prior to maturity and thereafter at amortized cost based on their value on the 61st day. Short-term debt securities having a maturity date of sixty days or less at the time of purchase are valued at amortized cost. B. Accounting for Investments -- Security transactions are accounted for on the trade date (date the order to buy or sell is executed). Realized gains and losses on security transactions are determined by the identified cost method. Dividend income and other distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Discounts are accreted and premiums are amortized over the life of the respective securities and are included in interest income. Interest income is accrued daily. C. Multiple Class Allocations -- Investment income, expenses (other than distribution fees), and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated to each class of shares based upon the relative net asset value on the date such items are recognized. Distribution fees are charged directly to the respective class. D. Federal Income Tax Policy -- It is the Fund's policy to comply with the requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute substantially all of its taxable income to its shareholders. Therefore, no provision for federal income taxes is required. The Fund files tax returns with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, New York State and New York City. The Fund adopted the provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Interpretation No. 48 ("FIN 48") Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes on June 29, 2007. FIN 48 sets forth a minimum threshold for financial statement recognition of the benefit of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The implementation of FIN 48 did not result in any unrecognized tax benefits in the accompanying financial statements. If applicable, the Fund recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in other expenses in the Statement of Operations. Each of the tax years in the four year period ended January 31, 2008, remains subject to examination by taxing authorities. 17 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) continued E. Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders -- Dividends and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. F. Use of Estimates -- The preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates. 2. Investment Advisory/Administration Agreements Pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement with the Investment Adviser, the Fund pays an advisory fee, accrued daily and payable monthly, by applying the following annual rates to the net assets of the Fund determined as of the close of each business day: 0.67% to the portion of the daily net assets not exceeding $500 million; 0.645% to the portion of the daily net assets exceeding $500 million but not exceeding $1 billion; and 0.62% to the portion of the daily net assets in excess of $1 billion. Pursuant to an Administration Agreement with Morgan Stanley Services Company Inc. (the "Administrator"), an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, the Fund pays an administration fee, accrued daily and payable monthly, by applying the annual rate of 0.08% to the Fund's daily net assets. Under an agreement between the Administrator and State Street Bank and Trust Company ("State Street"), State Street provides certain administrative services to the Fund. For such services, the Administrator pays State Street a portion of the fee the Administrator receives from the Fund. 3. Plan of Distribution Shares of the Fund are distributed by Morgan Stanley Distributors Inc. (the "Distributor"), an affiliate of the Investment Adviser and Administrator. The Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution (the "Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. The Plan provides that the Fund will pay the Distributor a fee which is accrued daily and paid monthly at the following annual rates: (i) Class A -- up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class A shares; (ii) Class B -- up to 1.0% of the average daily net assets of Class B shares; and (iii) Class C -- up to 1.0% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares. In the case of Class B shares, provided that the Plan continues in effect, any cumulative expenses incurred by the Distributor but not yet recovered may be recovered through the payment of future distribution fees from the Fund pursuant to the Plan and contingent deferred sales charges paid by investors upon redemption of Class B shares. Although there is no legal obligation for the Fund to pay expenses incurred in excess of payments made to the Distributor under the Plan and the proceeds of 18 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) continued contingent deferred sales charges paid by investors upon redemption of shares, if for any reason the Plan is terminated, the Trustees will consider at that time the manner in which to treat such expenses. The Distributor has advised the Fund that such excess amounts totaled $4,118,053 at January 31, 2008. In the case of Class A shares and Class C shares, expenses incurred pursuant to the Plan in any calendar year in excess of 0.25% or 1.0% of the average daily net assets of Class A or Class C, respectively, will not be reimbursed by the Fund through payments in any subsequent year, except that expenses representing a gross sales credit to Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and other authorized financial representatives at the time of sale may be reimbursed in the subsequent calendar year. For the six months ended January 31, 2008, the distribution fee was accrued for Class A shares and Class C shares at the annual rate of 0.25% and 1.0%, respectively. The Distributor has informed the Fund that for the six months ended January 31, 2008, it received contingent deferred sales charges from certain redemptions of the Fund's Class A shares, Class B shares and Class C shares of $1,355, $97,847 and $1,400, respectively and received $21,582 in front-end sales charges from sales of the Fund's Class A shares. The respective shareholders pay such charges which are not an expense of the Fund. 4. Security Transactions and Transactions with Affiliates The Fund invests in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio -- Institutional Class, an open-end management investment company managed by the Investment Adviser. Investment advisory fees paid by the Fund are reduced by an amount equal to the advisory and administrative service fees paid by Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio - -- Institutional Class with respect to assets invested by the Fund in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio -- Institutional Class. For the six months ended January 31, 2008, advisory fees paid were reduced by $18,252 relating to the Fund's investment in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio -- Institutional Class. Income distributions earned by the Fund are recorded as dividends from affiliate in the Statement of Operations and totaled $704,000 for the six months ended January 31, 2008. During the six months ended January 31, 2008, the cost of purchases and sales of investments in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio -- Institutional Class aggregated $107,360,504 and $122,094,824, respectively. The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of portfolio securities, excluding short-term investments, for the six months ended January 31, 2008 aggregated $121,185,268 and $221,686,822, respectively. Included in the aforementioned are purchases and sales with other Morgan Stanley funds of $125,472 and $59,477,036, respectively, including realized gains of $4,214,457. 19 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) continued For the six months ended January 31, 2008, the Fund incurred brokerage commissions of $551 with Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc., an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, Administrator and Distributor, for portfolio transactions executed on behalf of the Fund. Morgan Stanley Trust, an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, Administrator and Distributor, is the Fund's transfer agent. The Fund has an unfunded Deferred Compensation Plan (the "Compensation Plan") which allows each independent Trustee to defer payment of all, or a portion, of the fees he or she receives for serving on the Board of Trustees. Each eligible Trustee generally may elect to have the deferred amounts credited with a return equal to the total return on one or more of the Morgan Stanley funds that are offered as investment options under the Compensation Plan. Appreciation/depreciation and distributions received from these investments are recorded with an offsetting increase/decrease in the deferred compensation obligation and do not affect the net asset value of the Fund. 5. Expense Offset The expense offset represents a reduction of the fees and expenses for interest earned on cash balances maintained by the Fund with the transfer agent. 6. Federal Income Tax Status The amount of dividends and distributions from net investment income and net realized capital gains are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles. These "book/tax" differences are either considered temporary or permanent in nature. To the extent these differences are permanent in nature, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax-basis treatment; temporary differences do not require reclassification. Dividends and distributions which exceed net investment income and net realized capital gains for tax purposes are reported as distributions of paid-in-capital. As of July 31, 2007, the Fund had temporary book/tax differences primarily attributable to capital loss deferrals on wash sales. 20 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - JANUARY 31, 2008 (UNAUDITED) continued 7. Shares of Beneficial Interest Transactions in shares of beneficial interest were as follows: <Table> <Caption> FOR THE SIX FOR THE YEAR MONTHS ENDED ENDED JANUARY 31, 2008 JULY 31, 2007 ------------------------- ------------------------- (unaudited) SHARES AMOUNT SHARES AMOUNT ---------- ------------ ---------- ------------ CLASS A SHARES Sold.................................... 874,483 $ 14,280,393 1,499,154 $ 29,440,217 Conversion from Class B................. 497,175 8,064,304 1,143,301 22,458,320 Reinvestment of distributions........... 4,356,453 58,637,858 4,372,137 77,299,377 Redeemed................................ (4,069,510) (65,177,508) (3,784,109) (74,378,147) ---------- ------------ ---------- ------------ Net increase - Class A.................. 1,658,601 15,805,047 3,230,483 54,819,767 ---------- ------------ ---------- ------------ CLASS B SHARES Sold.................................... 116,644 1,729,658 569,660 10,475,054 Conversion to Class A................... (570,229) (8,064,304) (1,271,939) (22,458,320) Reinvestment of distributions........... 3,472,139 39,825,439 4,162,052 15,718,769 Redeemed................................ (2,783,912) (39,837,542) (3,884,272) (69,321,825) ---------- ------------ ---------- ------------ Net increase (decrease) - Class B....... 234,642 (6,346,749) (424,499) (15,586,322) ---------- ------------ ---------- ------------ CLASS C SHARES Sold.................................... 152,913 2,423,412 221,392 3,819,821 Reinvestment of distributions........... 714,687 8,211,750 619,390 9,792,559 Redeemed................................ (486,545) (6,495,910) (515,579) (9,137,247) ---------- ------------ ---------- ------------ Net increase - Class C.................. 381,055 4,139,252 325,203 4,475,133 ---------- ------------ ---------- ------------ CLASS D SHARES Sold.................................... 79,001 1,309,311 234,436 4,667,255 Reinvestment of distributions........... 558,312 7,872,193 665,323 12,162,086 Redeemed................................ (627,570) (11,197,249) (772,107) (16,099,511) ---------- ------------ ---------- ------------ Net increase (decrease) - Class D....... 9,743 (2,015,745) 127,652 729,830 ---------- ------------ ---------- ------------ Net increase in Fund.................... 2,284,041 $ 11,581,805 3,258,839 $ 44,438,408 ========== ============ ========== ============ </Table> 8. Accounting Pronouncement In September 2006, Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, Fair Value Measurements (SFAS 157), was issued and is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. SFAS 157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. Management is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of SFAS 157 will have on the Fund's financial statement disclosures. 21 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Selected ratios and per share data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout each period: <Table> <Caption> FOR THE SIX FOR THE YEAR ENDED JULY 31, MONTHS ENDED --------------------------------------------------- JANUARY 31, 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 ---------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- ------- (unaudited) Class A Shares Selected Per Share Data: Net asset value, beginning of period......... $ 18.62 $ 20.84 $ 22.28 $ 18.24 $ 15.51 $ 13.56 ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- Income (loss) from investment operations: Net investment income (loss)++............ (0.01) (0.04) (0.04) 0.04 (0.04) (0.02) Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)... (1.71) 4.07 1.70 4.55 2.77 1.97 ------ ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- Total income (loss) from investment operations.................................. (1.72) 4.03 1.66 4.59 2.73 1.95 ------ ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- Less distributions from net realized gain.... (4.06) (6.25) (3.10) (0.55) -- -- ------ ------ ------ ------ ----- ----- Net asset value, end of period............... $ 12.84 $18.62 $20.84 $22.28 $18.24 $15.51 ======= ======= ======= ====== ====== ====== Total Return+................................ (10.23)%(4) 20.93% 8.50% 25.45% 17.60% 14.38% Ratios to Average Net Assets(1): Total expenses (before expense offset)....... 1.23%(2)(3) 1.21%(2) 1.28% 1.27% 1.23% 1.25% Net investment income (loss)................. (0.13)%(2)(3) (0.19)%(2) (0.22)% 0.14% (0.23)% (0.11)% Supplemental Data: Net assets, end of period, in thousands...... $237,391 $313,180 $283,281 $274,050 $114,636 $71,088 Portfolio turnover rate...................... 23%(4) 44% 28% 41% 44% 47% </Table> - ---------- <Table> ++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares outstanding during the period. + Does not reflect the deduction of sales charge. Calculated based on the net asset value as of the last business day of the period. (1) Reflects overall Fund ratios for investment income and non-class specific expenses. (2) Reflects waivers of certain Fund expenses in connection with the investments in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio - Institutional Class during the period. As a result of such waivers the expenses as a percentage of its net assets had an effect of less than 0.005%. (3) Annualized. (4) Not Annualized. </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 22 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS continued <Table> <Caption> FOR THE SIX FOR THE YEAR ENDED JULY 31, MONTHS ENDED ---------------------------------------------------- JANUARY 31, 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 ---------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- (unaudited) Class B Shares Selected Per Share Data: Net asset value, beginning of period......... $16.55 $19.25 $20.95 $17.31 $14.84 $13.08 ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ Income (loss) from investment operations: Net investment loss++..................... (0.07) (0.17) (0.19) (0.11) (0.17) (0.11) Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)... (1.49) 3.72 1.59 4.30 2.64 1.87 ------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- Total income (loss) from investment operations.................................. (1.56) 3.55 1.40 4.19 2.47 1.76 ------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- Less distributions from net realized gain.... (4.06) (6.25) (3.10) (0.55) -- -- ------ ------ ------ ------ ----- ----- Net asset value, end of period............... $10.93 $16.55 $19.25 $20.95 $17.31 $14.84 ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== Total Return+................................ (10.56)%(4) 20.00% 7.68% 24.55% 16.64% 13.46% Ratios to Average Net Assets(1): Total expenses (before expense offset)....... 1.98%(2)(3) 1.97%(2) 2.03% 2.04% 2.00% 2.04% Net investment loss.......................... (0.88)%(2)(3) (0.95)%(2) (0.97)% (0.63)% (1.00)% (0.90)% Supplemental Data: Net assets, end of period, in thousands...... $141,049 $209,575 $251,970 $352,265 $518,426 $500,124 Portfolio turnover rate...................... 23%(4) 44% 28% 41% 44% 47% </Table> - ---------- <Table> ++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares outstanding during the period. + Does not reflect the deduction of sales charge. Calculated based on the net asset value as of the last business day of the period. (1) Reflects overall Fund ratios for investment income and non-class specific expenses. (2) Reflects waivers of certain Fund expenses in connection with the investments in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio - Institutional Class during the period. As a result of such waivers the expenses as a percentage of its net assets had an effect of less than 0.005%. (3) Annualized. (4) Not Annualized. </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 23 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS continued <Table> <Caption> FOR THE SIX FOR THE YEAR ENDED JULY 31, MONTHS ENDED ----------------------------------------------- JANUARY 31, 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 ---------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- (unaudited) Class C Shares Selected Per Share Data: Net asset value, beginning of period......... $16.57 $19.27 $20.97 $17.30 $14.84 $13.08 ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ Income (loss) from investment operations: Net investment loss++..................... (0.07) (0.17) (0.19) (0.10) (0.17) (0.12) Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)... (1.49) 3.72 1.59 4.32 2.63 1.88 ------ ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- Total income (loss) from investment operations.................................. (1.56) 3.55 1.40 4.22 2.46 1.76 ------ ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- Less distributions from net realized gain.... (4.06) (6.25) (3.10) (0.55) -- -- ------ ------ ------ ------ ----- ----- Net asset value, end of period............... $10.95 $16.57 $19.27 $20.97 $17.30 $14.84 ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== Total Return+................................ (10.55)%(4) 19.97% 7.72% 24.61% 16.64% 13.46% Ratios to Average Net Assets(1): Total expenses (before expense offset)....... 1.98%(2)(3) 1.97%(2) 2.02% 1.93% 2.00% 2.04% Net investment loss.......................... (0.88)%(2)(3) (0.95)%(2)(0.96)% (0.52)% (1.00)% (0.90)% Supplemental Data: Net assets, end of period, in thousands...... $28,379 $36,613 $36,311 $42,352 $42,662 $37,454 Portfolio turnover rate...................... 23%(4) 44% 28% 41% 44% 47% </Table> - ---------- <Table> ++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares outstanding during the period. + Does not reflect the deduction of sales charge. Calculated based on the net asset value as of the last business day of the period. (1) Reflects overall Fund ratios for investment income and non-class specific expenses. (2) Reflects waivers of certain Fund expenses in connection with the investments in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio - Institutional Class during the period. As a result of such waivers the expenses as a percentage of its net assets had an effect of less than 0.005%. (3) Annualized. (4) Not Annualized. </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 24 Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS continued <Table> <Caption> FOR THE SIX FOR THE YEAR ENDED JULY 31, MONTHS ENDED -------------------------------------------------- JANUARY 31, 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 ---------------- ------- ------- -------- -------- -------- (unaudited) Class D Shares Selected Per Share Data: Net asset value, beginning of period......... $19.28 $21.34 $22.69 $18.52 $15.72 $13.72 ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ Income (loss) from investment operations: Net investment income++................... 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.08 0.00 0.01 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)... (1.77) 4.18 1.75 4.64 2.80 1.99 ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ Total income (loss) from investment operations.................................. (1.76) 4.19 1.75 4.72 2.80 2.00 ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ Less distributions from net realized gain.... (4.06) (6.25) (3.10) (0.55) -- -- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ Net asset value, end of period............... $13.46 $19.28 $21.34 $22.69 $18.52 $15.72 ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== Total Return+................................ (10.07)%(4) 21.23% 8.76% 25.77% 17.81% 14.58% Ratios to Average Net Assets(1): Total expenses (before expense offset)....... 0.98%(2)(3) 0.97%(2) 1.03% 1.04% 1.00% 1.04% Net investment income........................ 0.12%(2)(3) 0.05%(2) 0.03% 0.37% 0.00% 0.10% Supplemental Data: Net assets, end of period, in thousands...... $36,486 $52,070 $54,930 $404,168 $306,722 $130,693 Portfolio turnover rate...................... 23%(4) 44% 28% 41% 44% 47% </Table> - ---------- <Table> ++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares outstanding during the period. + Calculated based on the net asset value as of the last business day of the period. (1) Reflects overall Fund ratios for investment income and non-class specific expenses. (2) Reflects waivers of certain Fund expenses in connection with the investments in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Money Market Portfolio - Institutional Class during the period. As a result of such waivers the expenses as a percentage of its net assets had an effect of less than 0.005%. (3) Annualized. (4) Not Annualized. </Table> See Notes to Financial Statements 25 (This Page Intentionally Left Blank) (This Page Intentionally Left Blank) TRUSTEES Frank L. Bowman Michael Bozic Kathleen A. Dennis James F. Higgins Dr. Manuel H. Johnson Joseph J. Kearns Michael F. Klein Michael E. Nugent W. Allen Reed Fergus Reid OFFICERS Michael E. Nugent Chairperson of the Board Ronald E. Robison President and Principal Executive Officer J. David Germany Vice President Dennis F. Shea Vice President Amy R. Doberman Vice President Carsten Otto Chief Compliance Officer Stefanie V. Chang Yu Vice President Francis J. Smith Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Mary E. Mullin Secretary TRANSFER AGENT Morgan Stanley Trust Harborside Financial Center, Plaza Two Jersey City, New Jersey 07311 INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM Deloitte & Touche LLP Two World Financial Center New York, New York 10281 LEGAL COUNSEL Clifford Chance US LLP 31 West 52nd Street New York, New York 10019 COUNSEL TO THE INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP 1177 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10036 INVESTMENT ADVISER Morgan Stanley Investment Advisors Inc. 522 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10036 The financial statements included herein have been taken from the records of the Fund without examination by the independent auditors and accordingly they do not express an opinion thereon. This report is submitted for the general information of the shareholders of the Fund. For more detailed information about the Fund, its fees and expenses and other pertinent information, please read its Prospectus. The Fund's Statement of Additional Information contains additional information about the Fund, including its trustees. It is available, without charge, by calling (800) 869-NEWS. This report is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors in the Fund unless preceded or accompanied by an effective Prospectus. Read the Prospectus carefully before investing. Morgan Stanley Distributors Inc., member FINRA. (c) 2008 Morgan Stanley [MORGAN STANLEY LOGO] MORGAN STANLEY FUNDS Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund Semiannual Report January 31, 2008 SVFSAN IU08-01430P-Y01/08 Item 1 - Report to Shareholders Item 2. Code of Ethics. Not applicable for semiannual reports. Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert. Not applicable for semiannual reports. Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services Not applicable for semiannual reports. Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants. Not applicable for semiannual reports. Item 6. Refer to Item 1. Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies. Not applicable for semiannual reports. Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies Applicable only to reports filed by closed-end funds. Item 9. Closed-End Fund Repurchases Applicable to reports filed by closed-end funds. Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders Not applicable. Item 11. Controls and Procedures (a) The Fund's principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that the Fund's disclosure controls and procedures are sufficient to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Fund in this Form N-CSR was recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms, based upon such officers' evaluation of these controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report. (b) There were no changes in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting. Item 12. Exhibits (a) Code of Ethics -- Not applicable for semiannual reports. (b) A separate certification for each principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the registrant are attached hereto as part of EX-99.CERT. 2 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. Morgan Stanley Special Value Fund /s/ Ronald E. Robison - ------------------------------------------------------- Ronald E. Robison Principal Executive Officer March 20, 2008 Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. /s/ Ronald E. Robison - ------------------------------------------------------- Ronald E. Robison Principal Executive Officer March 20, 2008 /s/ Francis Smith - ------------------------------------------------------- Francis Smith Principal Financial Officer March 20, 2008 *Print the name and title of each signing officer under his or her signature. 3