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CIFU Carador Income Fund Plc

0.18
0.00 (0.00%)
Last Updated: 00:00:00
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Carador Income Fund Plc LSE:CIFU London Ordinary Share IE00BL8C5Z40 ORD NPV (USD)
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  0.00 0.00% 0.18 0.13 0.23 0.00 00:00:00
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
0 0 N/A 0

Carador Income Fund PLC Annual Financial Report (5646D)

27/04/2017 12:20pm

UK Regulatory


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TIDMCIFU

RNS Number : 5646D

Carador Income Fund PLC

27 April 2017

RNS Announcement

Carador Income Fund plc

27 April 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANNUAL REPORT AND AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEARED 31 DECEMBER 2016

NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, TO U.S. PERSONS OR IN THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA OR JAPAN.

A copy of the Company's Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2016 as set out below, will be posted to the shareholders of the Company and will shortly be available on the Company's website http://www.carador.co.uk

CARADOR: INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The investment objective of Carador Income Fund PLC (the "Company" or "Carador") is to produce attractive and stable returns, with low volatility compared to equity markets, by investing in a diversified portfolio of senior notes of collateralised loan obligations ("CLOs"), collateralised by senior secured bank loans and equity and mezzanine tranches of CLOs.

The Company's shares have a listing on the premium segment of the Official List of the UK Listing Authority and are admitted to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange ("LSE").

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

 
 
 

Performance

I am pleased to present the Annual Report and Accounts for the Company for the financial year ended 31 December 2016.

Surprising political developments did little to discourage the equity and credit markets from reaching new highs, and credit markets recording the best annual returns in over a half decade.([1]) The biggest political story was the U.S. presidential election in which Donald Trump defeated a better-financed and heavily-favoured Hillary Clinton. Similar to the Brexit vote, the market's initial reaction was negative, though the sell-off was short lived. Investors have judged the incoming administration to be business friendly and markets promptly reversed course. It remains to be seen whether "Trumponomics" will overcome the low-inflation, low-growth period the U.S. has been stuck in, but deregulation and fiscal expansion should be supportive of growth. While the markets are responding in the affirmative, the U.S. still faces the headwinds of ageing demographics, declining productivity gains and a stronger dollar.

Performance was strong across the board in the credit markets. Senior loans returned 9.88%, registering the best year since 2010. High yield bonds outperformed senior loans, returning 18.37% - the asset class's best year since 2009. Senior loans rated below B-, including defaulted credits, gained 26.79% last year. Metals & mining loans soared 39.46% to lead all sectors, followed closely by the energy sector, which gained 37.22%.(1) U.S. CLOs ended the year strong with BB and B post-crisis tranches returning 21.73% and 23.61%, respectively, and average equity prices gaining 13.53%.[2] The risk-on trade clearly rewarded investors in 2016.

The European speculative-grade markets closed 2016 on a solid note but lagged their U.S. counterparts. European loans gained 6.52% and European high yield bonds returned 9.63% over the year. Despite the region's underperformance, returns have been remarkably consistent with the U.S.(1)

During the 12-month period, the Company generated a total NAV return of 22.67%, including dividends.[3]

The Company's shares closed 2016 at US$0.7163, a 7.73% discount to the NAV at 31 December 2016. The annualised dividend yield based on the last four declared dividends was 13.26%.(3)

US$ Share Quarterly Performance Based on Declared Dividends.(3)

 
                Start              Declared Dividend     Quarterly 
                  NAV    End NAV     for the Quarter     Total NAV 
   Quarter        US$        US$                 US$      Return % 
----------  ---------  ---------  ------------------  ------------ 
 Q1 2016      $0.7231    $0.6576             $0.0225        -5.95% 
 Q2 2016      $0.6576    $0.6908             $0.0225         8.47% 
 Q3 2016      $0.6908    $0.7466             $0.0225        11.33% 
 Q4 2016      $0.7466    $0.7763             $0.0275         7.66% 
 

Cash Flow and Dividends

In January 2016, the Board announced a target annual dividend of $0.090 per share for the year to be distributed evenly in four quarterly payments. It was also anticipated that a higher dividend could be achieved.

Cash Flow and Dividends (continued)

The Company generated an estimated total net income of $0.0982 per share for the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 and the Board declared total dividends of $0.0950 per share for the year. The Company also generated an estimated income reserve of $0.0032 per share for the year. Since 2013, the Company has accumulated approximately $9.9 million of undistributed net income that has been reinvested.

On the basis of current market conditions, the Directors have announced a dividend target for 2017 of $0.090 per share to be distributed evenly in four quarterly payments. Dividends are expected to be covered from net cashflows (after reinvestment of a proportion of the cashflows from Income Notes in accordance with the Company's investment policy).

To the extent estimated income in excess of $0.090 is required to be distributed for the financial year to 31 December 2017 to enable the Company to continue to meet the 85% income distribution requirement to be treated as an excluded security under the rules on Non Mainstream Pooled Investments, such income would be included in the dividend for the fourth quarter period in 2017.

Annual Declared Dividends per US$ Share and Net Cashflow Coverage of Net Income.

 
         Dividend   Net Cashflow 
  Year    Declared      Cover 
-------  ---------  ------------ 
 2009      7.0c        1.85x 
 2010      7.2c        1.46x 
 2011      11.3c       1.48x 
 2012      14.8c       1.48x 
 2013      13.1c       1.19x 
 2014      10.0c       1.10x 
 2015      10.0c       1.34x 
 2016      9.5c        1.41x 
 

Material Events

On 22 April 2016, the Company released its Annual Financial Report and Accounts for the twelve months ended 31 December 2015.

At the annual general meeting ("the AGM") of the Company held on 22 June 2016, shareholders approved the following ordinary and special resolutions:

Ordinary Resolutions

1. Receipt and consideration of the Directors' report and the financial statements of the Company for the financial year ended 31 December 2015 and the report of the auditors thereon;

2. Re-appointment of KPMG as auditors of the Company;

3. Authorisation of the Directors to fix the remuneration of the auditors of the Company;

4. Re-election of Edward D'Alelio as a Director of the Company;

5. Re-election of Werner Schwanberg as a Director of the Company;

6. Re-election of Fergus Sheridan as a Director of the Company;

7. Re-election of Adrian Waters as a Director of the Company; and

8. Authorisation of the Board to allot and issue up to 54,325,334 shares (or, if lower, such number of shares as represent 10 per cent of the shares of the Company in issue at the date of the AGM), such authority to expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company unless previously renewed, varied or revoked by the Company in general meeting.

Special Resolutions

9. Authorisation of the Board to allot and issue up to 54,325,334 shares (or, if lower, such number of shares as represent 10 per cent of the shares in issue at the date of the AGM) without having previously to offer such shares to shareholders of the Company on a pre-emptive basis, such authority to expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company unless previously renewed, varied or revoked by the Company in general meeting.

10. Adoption of the new objects clauses presented at the annual general meeting as the objects clauses of the Company to the exclusion of all existing objects clauses and the adoption of the constitution of the Company presented at the annual general meeting to the exclusion of the existing memorandum and articles of association of the Company.

Material Events (continued)

On 26 August 2016, the Company announced its Unaudited Interim Results for the period ended 30 June 2016. The Company amended this announcement to incorporate minor changes on 30 August 2016.

On 30 November 2016, the Company announced that the Directors will consider whether or not to offer shareholders potential redemption opportunities on a more frequent basis than as set out in the articles of association of the Company (the "Articles"). The Articles provide for circumstances where the directors have a discretion to offer redemption opportunities to shareholders every five years. Going forward, the Directors intend to consider every two and a half years whether to put an ordinary resolution to shareholders to approve a redemption opportunity for up to 100 per cent of the shares in issue, subject to any necessary changes to the Articles being approved. Any such redemption opportunities would be made available at the Directors' discretion and would be implemented through the creation of a repurchase pool.

Outlook

We enter 2017 with optimism, though we continue to anticipate volatility given uncertain political conditions, full valuations and a steady removal of monetary support. Overall, non-commodity corporate fundamentals remain mostly healthy. However, with over 70% of loans trading at par or higher, the arbitrage of CLO primary issues has become very tight. This augurs well for the refinancing or resetting of certain of the Company's investments, as a lower cost of funding can help offset spread tightening on underlying CLO portfolios.

As a result of US risk retention rules becoming effective in December 2016, the number of managers issuing new CLOs has declined. However, managers with larger platforms are likely to continue to be active in the CLO space and we don't expect a meaningful drop in the US CLO supply for 2017.

The portfolio attributable to the Company was, as of 31 December 2016, 71.7% invested in Income Notes, 24.5% in Mezzanine Notes and 3.8% in cash or cash equivalents. GSO / Blackstone Debt Funds Management LLC (the "Investment Manager") believes that this portfolio allocation supports the current dividend policy and future NAV growth.

Werner Schwanberg

Chairman

26 April 2017

INVESTMENT MANAGER'S REVIEW

For the twelve month period ended 31 December 2016

 
 
 

We are pleased to present our review of 2016 and our outlook for 2017. Some highlights include:

-- declared dividend income of $0.095 per share equivalent to a historic dividend yield of 13.26% based on the last four declared dividends;[4]

-- the portfolio's Income Note investments continue to deliver strong performance with robust cashflow generation, enabling the Company to increase its dividend per share for 2016 above the target annual dividend of $0.090 per share;

-- the NAV total return was 22.67% over the year, outperforming the Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index by 12.79% and the Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Index by 4.3%;[5]

-- the portfolio has been actively traded during the year with over $156 million invested in long-dated Income Notes and $148 million sold as the portfolio transitioned out of short-dated CLO Income Notes and low-yielding pre-crisis CLO debt; and

-- as of the year-end, the portfolio NAV comprised 74.9% of Income Notes, of which 99.3% were post-crisis and 25.1% of Mezzanine Notes, of which 100% were post-crisis. All the existing pre-crisis Income Notes in the portfolio had been called and were almost fully repaid.

Bank Loan Market Overview

The senior loan market enjoyed an overwhelmingly strong technical backdrop. With record CLO issuance, the first sustained retail inflows in nearly three years and persistent international institutional interest, demand for loans is at a multi-year high. Net loan issuance, however, remains muted and exacerbates the technical imbalance. Gross issuance of senior loans reached a 3-year high of $485 billion during 2016, but nearly two-thirds of issuance was applied to repricing or refinancing transactions.[6]

Senior loan valuations continued their upward trend. The average price of the Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index ("CS Loan Index") rose to a 19-month high of $97.18 ($97.68 excluding defaults) at the end of December from $91.43 at 31 December 2015 ($93.18 excluding defaults). More importantly for the loan market, at year end, roughly 70% of outstanding loans traded above par and were at risk of repricing due to the lack of call protection inherent in the asset class. During 2016, the discount margin (3-year life) narrowed to 461bp from 643bp, dropping below 500bp for the first time since the summer of 2014.[7]

Speculative grade default rates fell to the lowest level since March 2014. JP Morgan strategists report the par-weighted loan default rate closed the year at 1.5% from 1.7% at the end of 2015. Excluding commodities, the loan default rate fell to 0.5%.(6)

CLO Market Overview

With an impressive end to the year, global CLO issuance surpassed 2016 issuance projections. The U.S. market saw $72 billion of issuance through 156 CLOs, versus 2015's $97.9 billion through 191 CLOs. In Europe, CLO managers issued EUR16.8 billion through 41 transactions, which not only surpassed the EUR13.6 billion / 33 deals issued in 2015 but also represented the third highest year of issuance since 2001.(8) Strategists anticipate 2017 CLO issuance to remain in line with 2016 and generally forecast $50-75 billion of issuance in the U.S. and EUR15-20 billion in Europe.

In addition to primary issuance, the CLO market was vigorously working to refinance and reset outstanding deals. During 2016, refinancing / reset volume totalled $42.4 billion in the U.S. and EUR3.6 billion in Europe. This compares to 2015's totals of $10.2 billion in the U.S. and EUR0.3 billion in Europe. Activity was heavily weighted to the fourth quarter, when 77% of U.S. and 92% of European transactions occurred.[8]

CLO Market Overview (continued)

CLO liability costs generally tightened across both the U.S. and European primary market throughout the year. New issue AAA spreads reached Libor+141bp in the U.S. and Euribor+96bp in Europe by year-end.[9] In the secondary market, CLO equity valuations increased significantly with the average U.S. CLO post-crisis equity price gaining 135% and average European post-crisis equity up 8.8% in 2016.[10] Discount Margins ("DMs") also tightened globally across the capital structure, with both U.S. and European post-crisis CLO debt tranches trading at or near their 52-week lows by the end of 2016.[11]

Portfolio Update

Carador ended the year with a total of 63 different investments across 53 CLOs managed by 17 different investment managers. This represents a look-through exposure to approximately 1,080 individual corporates. The exposure is, however, concentrated in a smaller number of larger issuers, as the table below illustrate, with 326 of those companies accounting for 75% of the Carador portfolio.

Look-Through Loan Exposure

 
Number of Issuers  % Exposure 
-----------------  ---------- 
51                    25% 
149                   50% 
326                   75% 
545                   90% 
1,082                 100% 
 

The portfolio has been actively traded, taking advantage of the rally during the last part of the year to reduce exposure to more risky assets. As of year-end, Carador's oil and gas exposure was less than 1.3% on a look-through basis of CLO Income Notes, versus 2.7% exposure in January.

As per the below table, Carador sold $147.9 million notional mostly from short-dated CLO equities and low-yielding pre-crisis CLO debt and bought $156.9 million notional of longer dated CLO equities focused on top-tier managers. We believe that investing in top-tier managers, with sufficient depth of resources, has become increasingly important after the implementation of U.S. risk retention requirements in December 2016. We also believe that larger manager groups often attract a lower cost of CLO finance and they tend to see a better refinancing or reset opportunities.

Trading Activity

 
2016              Par (US$)             2.0 Equity                     2.0 B (US$)                  1.0 BB (US$) 
                                             (US$) 
-----  --------------------  ---------------------  ------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Buy             156,857,776            156,857,776                               -                             - 
Sell            147,950,000             98,800,000                      12,850,000                    36,300,000 
 
 

The Company was largely focused on secondary opportunities throughout the first three quarters of 2016. However, Carador opportunistically added primary issues as a result of the availability of attractive arbitrage as top-tier CLO managers were motivated to print deals before the U.S. risk retention rules were implemented.

As at 31 December 2016 the portfolio breakdown by CLO 1.0, CLO 2.0, Income Notes and Mezzanine Notes was as follows:

 
 Investment Type              % of December 2016 
                                      NAV 
---------------------------  ------------------- 
 CLO 1.0 Mezzanine Notes            0.00% 
 CLO 2.0 Mezzanine Notes            24.49% 
 CLO 1.0 Income Notes               0.49%* 
 CLO 2.0 Income Notes               71.25% 
 Cash and Cash Equivalents          3.78% 
 

* All the existing pre-crisis Income Notes in the portfolio have been called and are almost fully repaid.

Trading Activity (continued)

As at 31 December 2016, the Company's largest exposures to loan managers were as follows:

 
                                    % of                                               % of 
   Rank     Manager               Portfolio     Rank     Manager                  Portfolio 
-------  ---------------------  -----------  -------  ------------------------  ----------- 
                                                       BNP Paribas Asset 
   1      GSO / Blackstone          35.9%       6       Management                     6.3% 
                                                       AEGON USA Investment 
   2      Neuberger Berman          12.4%       7       Management                     4.0% 
                                                       VOYA Alternative 
   3      BlackRock                 9.1%        8       Asset Management               3.8% 
          Apidos Capital                               American Capital 
   4       Management               8.1%        9       Leveraged Finance              2.6% 
          Highbridge Principal 
   5       Strategies                7.1%       10     Ares Capital Management         2.5% 
 

The Company's top ten look-through exposure to corporate borrowers is detailed in the table below(1) :

31 December 2016

 
Issuer                    Rating     Sector                         % 
First Data Corp           Ba3/BB     Financial Intermediaries   1.07% 
Valeant Pharmaceuticals   Ba3/BB-    Healthcare                 1.01% 
Calpine Corp              Ba2/BB     Utilities                  0.85% 
Community Health          Ba3/BB-    Healthcare                 0.82% 
Albertson                 Ba2/BB     Food and Drug              0.75% 
Avago Technologies        Ba1/BBB-   Information Technology     0.71% 
Dell Inc                  Baa3/BBB   Information Technology     0.70% 
Scientific Games          Ba3/B+     Leisure Goods/Activities   0.67% 
Transdigm                 Ba2/B      Aerospace                  0.67% 
Asurion Corp              B1/B+      Insurance                  0.66% 
 

31 December 2015

 
Issuer                    Rating     Sector                       % 
Valeant Pharmaceuticals   Ba1/BB     Healthcare                 1.10% 
First Data Corp           B1/BB      Financial Intermediaries   0.94% 
Community Health          Ba2/BB     Healthcare                 0.86% 
Numericable SAS           B1/B+      Cable Television           0.82% 
Avago Technologies        Ba1/BBB    Information Technology     0.82% 
Calpine Corp              Ba3/BB     Utilities                  0.74% 
Asurion Corp              Ba3/B      Insurance                  0.72% 
Formula One Group         B2/B       Leisure Goods/Activities   0.62% 
Scientific Games          Ba3/BB-    Leisure Goods/Activities   0.61% 
Cablevision Systems 
 Corp                     Baa3/BB+   Cable Television           0.60% 
 

The Company's financial assets exposed to credit risk were concentrated, in order of exposure, in the following industries(1) :

 
                                          31 December 
31 December 2016                           2015 
Business equipment & services      7.37%  Business equipment & services     8.71% 
Electronics / Electric             6.95%  Healthcare                        8.04% 
Healthcare                         6.85%  Electronics / Electric            6.60% 
Telecommunications                 4.00%  Retailers (except food and drug)  5.25% 
Retailers (except food and drug)   3.70%  Chemicals / Plastics              4.25% 
Utilities                          3.69%  Cable Television                  4.18% 
Financial Intermediaries           2.92%  Telecommunications                3.92% 
Chemicals / Plastics               2.91%  Utilities                         3.66% 
Cable Television                   2.85%  Financial Intermediaries          3.44% 
Lodging and Casinos                2.62%  Oil and Gas                       3.27% 
Containers and glass products      2.62%  Leisure Goods/Activities/Movies   3.22% 
Leisure Goods/Activities/Movies    2.49%  Lodging and Casinos               3.10% 
 

Trading Activity (continued)

 
31 December 2016 
 (continued)                           31 December 2015 (continued) 
Building and Development        2.38%  Containers and glass products  2.52% 
Drugs                           2.34%  Automotive                     2.44% 
Broadcast Radio & Television    2.06%  Building and Development       2.23% 
Industrial Equipment            1.88%  Industrial Equipment           2.16% 
Aerospace and Defense           1.70%  Aerospace and Defense          2.05% 
Food Products                   1.52%  Broadcast Radio & Television   1.89% 
Oil and Gas                     1.49%  Food / Drug Retailers          1.74% 
Automotive                      1.43%  Drugs                          1.66% 
Food / Drug Retailers           1.19%  Air Transport                  1.66% 
Air Transport                   0.96%  Publishing                     1.54% 
Food Service                    0.92%  Food Products                  1.32% 
Publishing                      0.90%  Non-Ferrous Metals / Minerals  1.29% 
Business equipment & services   0.80%  Conglomerates                  1.25% 
 

(1) Forms an integral part of the audited financial statements

The Investment Manager implements a rigorous investment process, which, we believe, will continue to produce opportunities in the current environment.

Outlook

Most sell-side strategists are forecasting a continuation of the market's strong performance. The median 2017 total return forecast for senior loans is 5.5% with a few strategists expecting lower, but still positive, returns. History supports the median strategists' projections. Annual returns for senior loans have exhibited some auto-correlation. In other words, strong years like 2016 are often followed by another year of solid returns. In fact, the senior loan market is less likely to produce a negative return following an excellent year than it is when the prior year's returns are lower. The sample size is small but it follows that some investors will either chase returns or feel comfortable that the backdrop is advantageous to taking additional credit risk.

We believe two themes will dominate at the beginning of 2017 - supply/demand imbalance and repricing activity. First, demand for senior loans continues to overwhelm new, net supply of senior loans. For 10 consecutive months, quantifiable demand for loans (CLO issuance and retail flows) has exceeded net supply (approximated by the change in the size of the S&P/LSTA Loan Index). Given a fairly modest pipeline, this is unlikely to change over the near term. This technical backdrop supports loan valuations and has recently pushed over 70% of loans above par. Consequently, repricing activity has recently surged given the issuer-friendly environment. January has already surpassed the prior monthly record set in January 2013, according to S&P. As long as the market remains calm amidst a faster increase in the Fed funds rate relative to the prior two years, we expect issuers to continue to reprice their loans. In 2013, issuers were able to shave 27bp off the average cost of their debt. If that is replicated in 2017, repricing will offset some of the increase in the Libor base rate that results from Fed rate hikes.

Since the announcement of the final risk retention rules in the US, the number of managers issuing new CLOs has declined, resulting in a more concentrated CLO market. We expect managers with larger pre-existing CLO platforms, such as GSO, will fare better than smaller players. While implementation of the rules in the US may hinder issuance in the short-term, the market has prepared well for these rules, and so the drop in issuance is unlikely to be meaningful.

The U.S. CLO market may face some challenges as elevated loan prices reduce par building opportunities, and increased Libor and continued loan refinancing and repricing activity both put pressure on weighted average spread tests and may erode equity cashflows. However, we believe that Carador will continue to benefit from the value gained through the potential refinancings of certain CLO equity positions.

Looking forward we will continue to rotate the Income Note portfolio towards longer dated deals as we believe these investments will represent more attractive relative value opportunities. At the same time, we will selectively reposition our Mezzanine exposure and opportunistically look into redemption opportunities for older vintages deals when economically efficient.

Risk Management

The Company's portfolio of CLO investments is managed to minimise default risk and potential loss through credit analysis performed by the Investment Manager's experienced credit research team. Achieving diversity is part of the Company's investment objective. Each investment is assessed with a view to providing diversification in terms of underlying assets, issuer, sector, and maturity profile.

The Company invests in a minimum of 20 separate transactions with a maximum exposure per investment, at the time of investment, of 20% of its net asset value (the "Net Asset Value"). The Company also limits its exposure to transactions managed by the same portfolio manager to 15% of the Net Asset Value, at the time of investment. However, if the portfolio manager is an affiliate of the Investment Manager, this limit is increased to 60% of the Net Asset Value, at the time of investment.

The Company may invest in assets which are denominated in Euro and Sterling as well as U.S. Dollars, however the Base Currency of the Company is the U.S. Dollar. The Company therefore may have an exposure to changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and the Euro/GBP which, if unhedged, has the potential to have a significant effect on returns. The Directors believe that it is in the best interests of Shareholders for the Company to engage in currency hedging solely to reduce the risk of currency fluctuations and the volatility of returns which may result from such currency exposure. This may involve hedging, at the level of the Company, the Euro/GBP assets to U.S. Dollars. As at the year end the Company had no non-U.S. Dollar exposure.

The Company only uses currency and other hedging techniques for the purposes of efficient portfolio management in accordance with the requirements of the Central Bank. The Company has no intention of using the currency hedging facility for the purposes of currency speculation for its own account.

Please also refer to note 10 for a fuller description of the risks involved in an investment in the Company.

GSO / Blackstone Debt Funds Management LLC

26 April 2017

 
 
 

DIRECTORS' REPORT

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES

The Company was incorporated on 20 February 2006 as a closed-ended limited liability investment company under the laws of Ireland and is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland ("Central Bank"). The Company continues to be registered and domiciled in Ireland and the Company's shares are premium listed on the Official List of the UK Listing Authority and admitted to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Company's investment objective is to produce attractive and stable returns with low volatility compared to equity markets, by investing in a diversified portfolio of Senior Notes ("Senior Notes") of collateralised loan obligations ("CLOs"), collateralised by senior secured bank loans and equity ("Equity") and mezzanine tranches ("Mezzanine") of CLOs. CLOs are debt securities backed by a diversified pool of underlying assets. The CLO uses the cash flows from this portfolio of assets to back the issuance of multiple classes of rated debt securities which, together with the income notes, are used to fund the purchase of the underlying assets.

INVESTMENT POLICY

The Company invests in cash flow CLO transactions, managed by portfolio managers with proven track records. It seeks to achieve diversification across asset classes, geography, manager, and maturity profile. Each CLO investment is collateralised by a diverse pool of fixed income assets, which may include:

-- senior secured bank loans;

-- investment grade loans;

-- project finance debt;

-- asset-backed securities or other asset-backed obligations;

-- mortgage-backed securities; and/or

-- debt securities issued by other CLOs.

The Company may also invest in other collective investment schemes for the purposes of gaining exposure to the types of CLO transactions described above, or otherwise to pursue the investment objective and policy of the Company.

The Company seeks to have minimal exposure to CLOs where the underlying assets comprise of unsecured corporate bonds (investment grade or otherwise). The Company will limit investment in synthetic CLO transactions, at the time of investment, to 25% of the NAV. It is intended that the Company's investments comprise of Equity and Mezzanine tranches in actively managed portfolios, with a variety of portfolio managers. The Company may also invest in senior tranches of leveraged loan CLOs where attractive opportunities can be identified. Such opportunities may include investments in senior tranches of CLOs in respect of which the collateral consists of fee streams due to portfolio managers from underlying leverage loan CLOs. The Company may invest in new issue CLO transactions in the primary market, and transactions in the secondary market where attractive opportunities can be identified.

The Company's portfolio of CLO investments is actively managed to minimise default risk and potential loss through comprehensive credit analysis performed by the experienced credit research team in the Investment Manager, and use of the Investment Manager's proprietary risk management systems. Achieving efficient diversity is central to the Company's investment objective. Each investment is assessed with a view to providing diversification.

The Company invests in a minimum of 20 separate transactions, with a maximum exposure per investment, at the time of investment, of 20% of the NAV. The Company also limits its exposure to transactions managed by the same portfolio manager to 15% of the NAV, at the time of investment. However, if the portfolio manager is the Investment Manager or an affiliate of the Investment Manager, this limit is increased to 60% of the NAV, at the time of investment. The Investment Manager analyses all transactions at the underlying portfolio level, identifying any concentration in terms of issuer, sector, geography and maturity profile. The Investment Manager's analysis also takes into consideration the correlation among different underlying securities to avoid concentrations of risk.

There is no restriction as to the geographical composition of the underlying portfolios, but it is currently significantly weighted towards the United States.

INVESTMENT POLICY (continued)

The functional currency of the Company is US Dollar as the Directors have determined that this reflects the Company's primary economic environment. The presentational currency of the Company is also US Dollar. Investments acquired for the Company's portfolio are currently all denominated in US Dollar.

The investment objective of the Company may not be altered without the prior written approval of all shareholders or a special resolution of shareholders in a general meeting.

Any material change to the investment policy of the Company may only be made with the prior approval, by special resolution, of shareholders.

 
 
 

Investment restrictions

In accordance with the requirements of the UK Listing Authority and the Central Bank, the Company has adopted the following additional investment restrictions:

-- distributable income will be principally derived from investment activity;

-- the Company will not conduct any trading activity;

-- a maximum of 20% of the value of the NAV of the Company may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (related companies within a group of companies shall be deemed to be one issuer);

-- a maximum of 15% of the NAV of the Company may be invested in other listed investment companies;

-- the Company will not take legal or management control of the issuers of the underlying investments, nor shall the Company acquire any shares carrying voting rights which would enable it to exercise significant influence over the management of an issuing body;

-- no more than 20% of the NAV of the Company may be kept on cash deposit with any one institution;

-- the Company may not invest more than 20% of its NAV in other collective investment schemes, of which no more than 20% of its NAV may be invested in other open-ended collective investment schemes; no more than 10% of its NAV may be invested in closed-ended collective investment schemes; no more than 10% of its NAV may be invested in fund of funds; and no more than 10% of its NAV may be invested in unregulated collective investment schemes. No issue or purchase commission may be charged to the Company where investments are made in collective investment schemes managed by the Investment Manager or by an associated or related company of the Investment Manager, and where the Investment Manager receives a commission by virtue of an investment in a collective investment scheme, this commission must be paid into the Company;

-- for the purposes of the above limits, related entities (where 50% or more of the voting rights or paid up capital of one entity are held or owned directly or indirectly by another entity) are regarded as a single issuer;

-- the Company shall not invest in real estate or directly in physical commodities;

-- dividends will not be paid unless they are covered by net income received from, and/or net realised and unrealised capital gains deriving from, the Company's investments;

-- the Company may borrow up to 25% of its NAV from time to time for short term or temporary liquidity purposes, and may grant collateral to secure borrowings. The Company may not have any long-term or structural borrowings;

-- the Company may hedge corporate credit risk through the use of short sales, credit default swaps, options and other methods where the underlying assets relate to single issuers for the broader indices and may thereby be leveraged up to a total limit of 10% of its NAV; and

-- the Company may not acquire more than 20% of any class of security issued by any single issuer. This restriction does not apply to debt securities.

Any change in the above investment restrictions shall be subject to the prior approval of the Central Bank.

INVESTMENT POLICY (continued)

Investment restrictions (continued)

The above limits apply at the time of the purchase of the investment. If these limits are exceeded for reasons beyond the control of the Company, the Company shall adopt as a priority for its sales transactions the remedying of the position taking account of the interests of the shareholders. In the event of any breach of these investment restrictions, the Board of Directors (the "Board") will as soon as practicable make an announcement on a Regulatory Information Service provider and subsequently write to shareholders, if appropriate.

REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUSINESS AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

A detailed review of the business and future developments of the Company is included in the Investment Manager's report.

RESULTS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR AND STATE OF AFFAIRS

The financial position and results for the financial year are set out in the statement of financial position and in the statement of comprehensive income.

The profit for the financial year attributable to participating equity shareholders amounted to US$79,153,810 (31 December 2015: loss of US$41,409,323).

The Company made the following announcements on dividends relating to the year ended 31 December 2016:

-- On 22 January 2016, the Board declared a dividend of US$0.0250 per US Dollar share in respect of the period from 1 October 2015 to 31 December 2015. The dividend was paid on 10 February 2016 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 5 February 2016. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$13,581,333.

-- On 21 April 2016, the Board declared a dividend of $0.0225 per U.S. Dollar Share in respect of the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 March 2016. This dividend was paid on 4 May 2016 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 29 April 2016. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$12,223,201.

-- On 21 July 2016, the Board declared a dividend of US$0.0225 per US Dollar share in respect of the period from 1 April 2016 to 30 June 2016. The dividend was paid on 3 August 2016 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 29 July 2016. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$12,223,201.

-- On 20 October 2016, the Board declared a dividend of US$0.0225 per US Dollar share in respect of the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2016. The dividend was paid on 2 November 2016 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 28 October 2016. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$12,223,200.

-- On 19 January 2017, the Board declared a dividend of US$0.0275 per US Dollar share in respect of the financial period from 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016. The dividend was paid on 1 February 2017 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 27 January 2017. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$14,939,467.

Please see note 17 for other important events during the financial year.

TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING DIRECTORS

Please refer to note 4 and note 9 for details of transactions involving Directors.

EVENTS SINCE FINANCIAL YEAR

Please refer to note 18 "Subsequent Events" for details of the important events occurring after the reporting date.

DIRECTORS

The names of the persons who were Directors at any time during the financial year are set out in the section entitled "Management and Administration". As at 31 December 2016, all five Directors are non-executive, each of whom, apart from Ed D'Alelio, are independent of the Investment Manager. No Director has a service contract with the Company. The Directors have each entered into a letter of engagement with the Company setting out the terms of their appointment, copies of which are available for review by the shareholders.

DIRECTORS' AND COMPANY SECRETARY'S INTERESTS

Neither the Directors (including family interests) nor the company secretary, State Street Fund Services (Ireland) Limited (the "Company Secretary"), have any shareholdings in the Company as at 31 December 2016.

MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS

The Investment Manager acts as investment manager of the Company pursuant to the terms of the deed of novation dated 10 July 2013 and effective as of 14 July 2013 between the Company, GSO Capital Partners International LLP ("GSO CPI") and the Investment Manager, which novated the amended and restated investment management agreement dated 9 August 2011 between GSO CPI and the Company, (the "Investment Management Agreement").

The management fees and other fees payable to the Investment Manager are disclosed in note 4. After due consideration of the investment experience, resources and reputation of the Investment Manager as a whole, it is the opinion of the Directors that the continuing appointment of the Investment Manager on the terms agreed is in the interest of shareholders as a whole. The Investment Management Agreement may be terminated on six-months' notice by either party and may also be terminated by either party with immediate effect on the occurrence of certain events, including: (i) if an order has been made or an effective resolution passed for liquidation of the other party; (ii) if a receiver or similar officer has been appointed in respect of the other party or its assets or the other party becomes subject to an administration order; (iii) if the other party enters into an arrangement with its creditors, or any of them or the other party is or is deemed to be unable to pay its debts; (iv) if the other party ceases or threatens to cease to carry on its business or threatens to make any material alteration to the nature of its business as carried out on the date of the investment management agreement; or (v) if the other party commits a material breach of its obligations under the investment management agreement and such breach (if capable of being remedied) is not remedied within 28 days of receiving notice of the breach. The duration of the Investment Manager's appointment has not been fixed.

 
 
 

ACCOUNTING RECORDS

The Directors are responsible for ensuring that adequate accounting records, as outlined in Sections 281 to 285 of the Companies Act 2014, are kept by the Company. To achieve this, the Directors have employed a service organisation, State Street Fund Services (Ireland) Limited (the "Administrator"). The accounting records are maintained at the Company's registered office at 78 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland.

PRINCIPAL RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES, RISK MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

The Company's investment objective is to produce attractive and stable returns with a low volatility compared to equity markets, by investing in a diversified portfolio of Senior Notes of CLOs, collateralised by senior secured bank loans and Equity and Mezzanine tranches of CLOs. Investment in the Company carries with it a degree of risk including, but not limited to, business risks and the risks associated with financial instruments, referred to in note 10 of these financial statements and the Investment Manager's review. The primary business risk is the risk that the Company may not achieve its investment objective. Meeting that objective is a target but the existence of such an objective should not be considered as an assurance or guarantee that it can or will be met.

A summary of the primary risks relating to the Company are:

-- The past performance of the Company is not necessarily indicative of, and cannot be relied upon as a guide to, the future performance of the Company.

-- In calculating its NAV, the Company may be required to rely on estimates of the value of securities in which the Company invests which are unaudited or subject to little verification or other due diligence.

-- There are risks related to CLO securities, including leveraged credit risk, the potential for interruption and deferral of cash flow, asset/liability mismatch risk, currency risk, volatility risk, liquidity risk, reinvestment risk and risks associated with collateral.

-- The success of the Company is significantly dependent on the expertise of the Investment Manager and the Investment Manager's ability to source CLOs which are suitable to be held in the Company's portfolio.

-- There can be no assurance that the Investment Manager will be able to accurately predict the future course of price movements and performance of securities.

-- Restrictions on withdrawal of capital means that shareholders must be prepared to bear the risks of owning an interest in the shares for an extended period of time.

-- The market price of the shares can fluctuate and there is no guarantee that the market prices of shares will reflect fully their underlying NAV.

COMPANY CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Introduction

The Company is subject to and complies with Irish statute including the Companies Act 2014, with the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority, and with the voluntary Corporate Governance Code for Collective Investments Schemes and Management Companies issued by the Irish Funds Industry Association in December 2011 (the "Irish Code").

The Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority requires the Company to apply the main principles of the UK Corporate Governance Code (the "UK Code") published by the Financial Reporting Council (the "FRC") in September 2014, and the Board is required to report to shareholders on how it has done so. The UK Code can be found at: https://www.frc.org.uk/Our-Work/Codes-Standards/Corporate-governance/UK-Corporate-Governance-Code.aspx

The Irish Code is a voluntary code that was issued by the Irish Funds Industry Association in December 2011 and was adopted by the Company in 2012.

 
 
 

The Irish Code provides a framework for the organisation and operation of funds to ensure that funds operate efficiently and in the interests of shareholders. A copy of the Irish Code can be found at: http://www.irishfunds.ie/media-centre/news-archive/67-corporate-governance-code-and-faqs/faqs.

The Board considers that the Company has complied with the main provisions contained in the Irish Code and the UK Code, (except as outlined in the sections entitled "Compliance with the UK Code" and "Compliance with the Irish Code") and throughout this accounting period and that it complies with corporate governance requirements in Ireland. The paragraphs below describe how the relevant principles of corporate governance are applied by Carador.

In the opinion of the Directors, the Annual Report and the Audited Financial Statements are fair, balanced and understandable and provide the information necessary for the shareholders to assess the Company's performance, business model and strategy.

The Board

The Board currently consists of five non-executive Directors, each of whom, apart from Ed D'Alelio, is independent of the Investment Manager. Werner Schwanberg is the Chairman of the Board (the "Chairman"). The Board accepts collective responsibility for the decisions of the Board. The Board had 4 scheduled board meetings during the financial year ended 31 December 2016 (see the table below) and between these formal meetings, there was regular contact between the Board, the Investment Manager, the Company Secretary and the Company's brokers. The Directors are kept fully informed of investment and financial controls and other matters that are relevant to the business of the Company and should be brought to the attention of the Directors.

The Directors, where necessary in the furtherance of their duties, have access to independent professional advice at the expense of the Company.

The attendance record of Directors at the meetings for the financial year ended 31 December 2016 is set out below:

 
 Meetings and              Formal        Ad Hoc Board   Audit Committee   Remuneration 
  attendances by        Board Meetings     Meetings                         Committee 
  Director 
--------------------  ----------------  -------------  ----------------  ------------- 
 Number of Meetings 
  Held                        4               2                3               1 
 Werner Schwanberg            4               1               N/A             N/A 
 Fergus Sheridan              4               2                3               1 
 Adrian Waters                4               2                3              N/A 
 Edward D'Alelio              4               1               N/A              1 
 Nicholas Moss                4               2                3               1 
--------------------  ----------------  -------------  ----------------  ------------- 
 

The Board has a breadth of experience relevant to the Company and the Directors believe that any changes to the Board's composition can be managed without undue disruption. With any new Director appointment to the Board, consideration will be given as to whether an induction process is appropriate and upon any such appointment the new Director would be available to meet shareholders upon request. There is a robust process in place for ensuring the Board has the right information at the right time and in the right format to enable the Directors to make informed decisions. The Chairman sets the Board agenda, assisted by the Company Secretary. An annual board timetable is prepared by the Company Secretary to map out the flow of key report/items submitted to the Board and to ensure that sufficient time is allocated for discussions and material issues. Directors may request any agenda items to be added that they consider appropriate for Board discussion.

The Board (continued)

Additionally, each Director is required to inform the Board of any potential or actual conflicts of interest prior to Board discussion.

Questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes. In case of an equality of votes, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director may, and the Company Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors. The quorum necessary for the transaction of business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed at any other number shall be two.

The primary focus at Board meetings is a review of the overall business of the Company including investment policy, investment performance, risks affecting the Company (investment and other) and other matters (including, but not limited to, administration, corporate governance and compliance, marketing/investor relations, peer group information and industry issues). The Board evaluates Board composition and considers the tenure of each Director on an annual basis and believes that the mix of skills (including investment and accounting skills), experience, ages and length of service are appropriate to the requirements of the Company. The Board conducts an annual performance evaluation of the Board, its committees and individual Directors. The evaluation of the Board considers, among other things, the balance of experience, skills, independence, knowledge and time commitments of the Board and how it works together as a unit. The Chairman leads a discussion among the Board through the use of a questionnaire, and the feedback from each Board member to the questions posed by the questionnaire are recorded in meeting minutes. In addition to this annual performance review of the Board, a formal review of the performance of the Board, the individual Directors and the Chairman is carried out every three financial years.

Directors' duties and responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Directors cover the following areas:

   --    statutory obligations and public disclosure; 
   --    strategic matters and financial reporting; 
   --    oversight of management and personnel matters; 
   --    risk assessment and management, including reporting, monitoring, governance and control; and 
   --    other matters having a material effect on the Company. 

Nomination/remuneration committees

There was no nomination committee in the financial year ended 31 December 2016, as it is not considered appropriate at the present time. A remuneration committee was established on 6 April 2011. The Board has adopted a documented terms of reference in respect of the remuneration committee evidencing all delegated authorities given to its members. The Chairman of the remuneration committee is Edward D'Alelio. Nicholas Moss and Fergus Sheridan are the other members of the committee.

The functions of the remuneration committee are as follows:

1. responsibility for the preparation of recommendations to the Board regarding the remuneration of the members of the Board;

2. provide support and advice to the Board on determining an overall remuneration policy of the Company that is consistent with the objectives, values and interests of the Company and reflects comparable compensation levels of the peer universe for the Company;

   3.    oversee and review the implementation of the remuneration policy of the Company; and 
   4.    perform any other activities as the Board deems necessary or appropriate. 

Pricing committee

The Company's pricing policy was approved at the board meeting on 27 August 2013. This policy and its associated process replaced the previously defined process, which was undertaken by the pricing committee. The current process is implemented by the Investment Manager, which reports to the Pricing Liaison Director and the Administrator on a monthly basis. Edward D'Alelio was appointed as Pricing Liaison Director at a board meeting on 24 April 2013.

Audit committee

The Audit committee comprised of Adrian Waters, Fergus Sheridan and Nicholas Moss for the financial year ended 31 December 2016. The Audit committee examines, amongst other things, the effectiveness of the internal systems, the annual report and financial statements and interim report of the Company, and aims to identify significant risks facing the Company. It also oversees the remuneration and engagement of KPMG (the "Auditor"), as well as the Auditor's independence and any non-audit services provided by them. Please see the Audit Committee's report for further details in relation to its role and responsibilities.

Internal controls

The Board is ultimately responsible for the system of internal controls for the Company, identifying significant risks facing the Company and oversight of the system of controls to mitigate them. The Board confirms that there is an ongoing process for identifying, evaluating and managing the significant risks faced by the Company. The Audit committee assists the Board in discharging these responsibilities.

This process has been in place for the financial year under review and up to the date of approval of this annual report and financial statements and is reviewed by the Board and accords with the Irish Code and the UK Code. The Board has reviewed the effectiveness of the system of internal controls. In particular, it has reviewed and updated the process for identifying and evaluating the significant risks affecting the Company and the policies by which these risks are managed. The principal financial instrument risks are described on pages 53 to 58. The Board has also identified the following additional risks and uncertainties:

 
 Principal risks                         How is the risk managed? 
--------------------------------------  ------------------------------------ 
 Investment and portfolio 
--------------------------------------  ------------------------------------ 
                                          The Investment Manager 
                                           conducts a rigorous investment 
                                           process for each potential 
                                           investment. The individual 
                                           underlying loans for each 
                                           CLO are mapped against 
 Sufficiency of the Investment             the Investment Manager's 
  Manager's investment process             internal ratings of each 
  The Investment Manager's                 loan that the Investment 
  due diligence of potential               Manager otherwise covers 
  investments may not appropriately        to allow for a deep dive 
  highlight issues in underlying           into the construction of 
  loans, the CLO manager or                the CLO. The Investment 
  the structure of the deal.               Manager reviews the track 
  Further, the Investment Manager's        record and style of the 
  models may not have appropriate          CLO manager and assesses 
  assumptions. This may result             the structure of the deal 
  in underperformance by a                 quantitatively and qualitatively. 
  deal and negatively impact               Only investments that have 
  cashflows for the portfolio.             been approved by the Investment 
  Credit Risk can arise from               Committee may be invested 
  an insufficient investment               in. 
  process.                                 The Investment Manager 
  Market liquidity                         regularly reviews its model 
  There is no guarantee that               assumptions to reflect 
  the Investment Manager will              changes to the market and 
  be able to make suitable                 outlook. The assumptions 
  investments with risk and                reflect positive, base, 
  return characteristics that              negative and stress scenarios. 
  fit within the investment                The Investment Manager 
  strategy of the Company,                 is constantly in touch 
  or that the Investment Manager           with the market to identify 
  will be able to dispose of               potential buying and selling 
  investments in a timely manner,          opportunities in the primary 
  if required. In rotating                 and secondary market. Because 
  the portfolio or seeking                 of the Investment Manager's 
  new investments, the only                position in the market, 
  available investments with               the Investment Manager 
  an appropriate risk profile              has good visibility into 
  may yield lower rates of                 potential opportunities. 
  return than have historically            The Investment Manager 
  been achievable and may thus             may utilise the liquidity 
  adversely affect the Company's           facility for new purchases, 
  overall returns.                         as required. 
 Principal risks                         How is the risk managed? 
--------------------------------------  ------------------------------------ 
 Investment and portfolio 
 Change in laws or regulation             Changes in laws or regulation 
  with impact on the portfolio             are monitored by the Board 
  Changes in the laws or regulations       on an ongoing basis, with 
  that govern CLOs, may have               the assistance of external 
  an adverse effect on the                 counsel. 
  performance of the Company's             The Company continues to 
  investment portfolio and                 await clarification from 
  the returns achieved by the              ESMA and the Central Bank 
  Company.                                 on impacts to non-EU AIFMs, 
  In particular, the impact                such as the Investment 
  of the retention requirements            Manager, which may cause 
  under Directive 2011/61/EU               the retention requirement 
  of the European Parliament               under AIFMD to become applicable 
  and of the Council of 8 June             to the Company. The Board 
  2011 ("AIFMD") is currently              is closely monitoring any 
  unknown but may have a material          developments and will take 
  impact on the Company's investment       action, if necessary, once 
  portfolio.                               clarification is provided. 
  Implementation of risk retention         See further details on 
  rules in the US may have                 page 23. 
  negative implications on                 The Investment Manager 
  the supply of CLOs in the                continues to monitor primary 
  market.                                  issuance and secondary 
                                           availability of potential 
                                           investments. The Investment 
                                           Manager will evaluate potential 
                                           investments utilising its 
                                           robust investment management 
                                           process. 
 Counterparty default risk                The Investment Manager 
  The Company's main counterparty          for the most part trades 
  risk arises from trades,                 via DTC or Euroclear, which, 
  including physical securities,           on the whole, limits counterparty 
  made by the Investment Manager.          risk. A small part of the 
  If a counterparty were to                portfolio includes physical 
  default there may be adverse             securities. Physical securities 
  impacts to the Company's                 are delivered against payment 
  performance.                             thus mitigating counterparty 
                                           risk. 
 
 Interest rate                            The revolving credit facility 
  The Company has a floating               is in place to fund potential 
  rate revolving credit facility           investments and to provide 
  and as such the financial                a buffer against liquidity 
  performance of the Company               requirements. As reported, 
  may adversely be affected                the credit facility is 
  in the event that interest               undrawn. 
  rates rise.                              Assets and liabilities 
  Changes to interest rates                in CLOs are floating rate 
  may affect the CLOs.                     notes, thus interest rate 
                                           changes are inherently 
                                           accounted for. 
 Other 
--------------------------------------  ------------------------------------ 
 Regulatory, legal and compliance         The Board monitors compliance 
  risk                                     information provided by 
  The Company may not achieve              its service providers and 
  full compliance with all                 monitors ongoing legal 
  applicable legislation leading           and regulatory developments 
  to regulatory, reputational              in Ireland and the UK, 
  or financial consequences.               as well as developments 
  Further a service provider               coming from the UK Listing 
  may experience a regulatory,             Authority. The Company 
  legal or compliance breach               has a comprehensive compliance 
  that could impact the Company.           monitoring programme to 
                                           seek to ensure full compliance 
                                           with applicable legislation 
                                           and regulation relevant 
                                           to the Company. 
 
 Operational risk                         The Board regularly monitors 
  Inadequate or failed internal            the performance of service 
  processes of the Company                 providers' compliance and 
  or the Company's service                 the Company's compliance 
  providers, people, and systems,          with applicable legal and 
  or from external causes (deliberate,     regulatory requirements 
  accidental or natural). This             from the Central Bank and 
  may result in direct financial           UK Listing Authority. As 
  losses or reputational damages           discussed in the section 
  leading to longer-term financial         "Regulatory, legal and 
  consequences.                            compliance risk", the Company 
                                           has a comprehensive compliance 
                                           monitoring programme to 
                                           seek to ensure full compliance 
                                           with applicable legislation 
                                           and regulation relevant 
                                           to the Company. 
 
 
 Principal risks                         How is the risk managed? 
--------------------------------------  ------------------------------------ 
 Other 
--------------------------------------  ------------------------------------ 
 Reputational risk                        The Board regularly monitors 
  There is a risk that as a                the performance of service 
  result of inadequate or failed           providers' compliance and 
  internal processes of the                the Company's compliance 
  Company or the Company's                 with applicable legal and 
  service providers, and systems,          regulatory requirements 
  or from external causes (deliberate,     from the Central Bank and 
  accidental or natural), the              UK Listing Authority. As 
  Company's regulators may                 discussed in the section 
  issue financial or non-financial         "Regulatory, legal and 
  penalties or fines that could            compliance risk", the Company 
  irrevocably harm the Company's           has a comprehensive compliance 
  reputation.                              monitoring programme to 
  Additionally, negative press             seek to ensure full compliance 
  on the Company, its Directors            with applicable legislation 
  or service providers may                 and regulation relevant 
  negatively impact the Company.           to the Company. 
                                           The Company and its service 
                                           providers regularly monitor 
                                           press mentions and will 
                                           take appropriate action 
                                           as required to respond 
                                           to or otherwise address 
                                           negative press. 
 
 Conflicts of interest 
 The Company and its service             The Board has implemented 
  providers may have conflicts            a Connected Party Transaction 
  of interest that arise from             Policy that is annually 
  time to time. In particular,            reviewed and approved. 
  connected party transactions            Under the policy, the Board 
  by the service providers                must satisfy itself semi-annually 
  may create a potential conflict         that the arrangements concerning 
  of interest that is adverse             connected party transactions 
  to interests of the Company             are appropriate and complied 
  or its investors.                       with, and that any connected 
                                          party transactions entered 
                                          into during the period 
                                          comply with the Connected 
                                          Party Transaction Policy. 
                                          Connected party transactions 
                                          must be reviewed by the 
                                          pricing liaison Director 
                                          and Administrator. 
 
 Cybersecurity risk 
 The Company and its service             The Board has a cybersecurity 
  providers may have inadequate           policy that is reviewed 
  systems, policies and procedures        and approved at least annually. 
  in place to detect and prevent          On a quarterly basis, the 
  or respond adequately to                Board receives confirmation 
  cybersecurity threats and               from the service providers 
  breaches that may result                that there have been no 
  in financial and reputational           cybersecurity breaches 
  implications for the Company.           as part of the service 
                                          provider reports to the 
                                          Board. Annually, the Board 
                                          conducts due diligence 
                                          on each service provider 
                                          to ascertain the adequacy 
                                          of the service provider's 
                                          cybersecurity programme. 
                                          The Board also monitors 
                                          ongoing cybersecurity developments 
                                          in Europe and the US. 
 

Delegated activities

As there is delegation of daily operational activity, described below, the Company has no direct internal audit function. The Board receives regular reporting from the service providers to the Company and conducts an annual review of the service providers. The internal control systems seek to keep the Company within its risk appetite.

The Board has delegated the responsibility for (i) management of the Company's investment portfolio, (ii) provision of custody services and (iii) administration, registrar and corporate secretarial functions of the Company including independent calculation of the NAV and production of the independently audited annual report and financial statements. Whilst the Board delegates responsibility, it retains accountability for the functions it delegates and is responsible for the systems of internal control. Formal contractual agreements have been put in place between the Company and providers of these services. Compliance reports are provided on a quarterly basis by the Administrator.

Corporate responsibility

The Company's business is concerned with investment. It considers the ongoing concerns of its shareholders by open and regular dialogue with and through the appointed Investment Manager and the Company's brokers.

The Company does not have any employees.

 
 
 

Going concern statement

In accordance with provision C.1.3 of the UK Code, after making enquiries and given the nature of the Company and its investments, the Directors are satisfied that it is appropriate to continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements and, after due consideration, the Directors are satisfied that the Company has the resources to continue in business for a period of 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements (26 April 2017). However, as detailed in the viability statement there is uncertainty arising from the potential repurchase opportunity. The going concern statement should be read in conjunction with the Company's viability statement.

Viability statement

In accordance with provision C.2.2 of the UK Code, at least annually, the Board conducts a robust assessment of the principal risks facing the Company, including those that would threaten its business model, future performance, solvency and liquidity. The Directors have considered each of the Company's principal risks and uncertainties detailed on pages 15 to 17, in particular the risk arising from the possible application of the retention requirements under AIFMD and the impact of such changes that could materially affect the ability of the Company to pursue its investment objective and policy. The Directors also considered the Company's policy for monitoring, managing and mitigating its exposure to these risks. This assessment involved an evaluation of the potential impact on the Company of these risks occurring. Where appropriate, the Company's financials were subject to a scenario analysis in order to analyse the effect on the Company's cash flows and other key financial metrics.

While provision C.2.2 of the UK Code requires Directors to assess the prospects of the Company over a period significantly longer than twelve months, exceptions are permitted in rare circumstances. The Board conducted this review for a period covering the next twelve months taking into account the uncertainty surrounding the retention requirement under AIFMD and the potential for a shareholder repurchase opportunity.

The Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the next 12 months. This is based on the assessment of the principal risks facing the Company and the scenario analysis based assessment of the Company's prospects.

While there is uncertainty surrounding the potential repurchase opportunity, the Directors believe that should a repurchase opportunity be presented to Shareholders, it is unlikely that elections for repurchase will constitute a material part of the shares. The Directors believe that this is supported by the announcement in November 2016 that they may consider offering Shareholders potential repurchase opportunities on a more frequent basis. Subject to any necessary changes to the Articles being approved, the Directors intend to consider every two and a half years whether to put an ordinary resolution to shareholders to approve a repurchase opportunity for up to 100% of the shares in issue. The Directors believe that it is unlikely that they will need to consider whether a winding-up resolution should instead be put to Shareholders should the share repurchases reach 75%.

Further, the Company's only liabilities are expenses paid to service providers. The key liabilities are linked to NAV and thus fluctuate as the NAV of the Company increases and decreases, subject to a minimum in certain cases. This results in the Company being able to comfortably cover the liabilities as they fall due.

Relations with shareholders

The Investment Manager and the Company's brokers maintain a regular dialogue with shareholders, the feedback from which is reported to the Board. In addition, Board members are available to respond to shareholders' questions at the Annual General Meeting and on an ad hoc basis if necessary.

In each financial year, the Company shall hold a general meeting of the Company as its Annual General Meeting in Ireland. At least twenty-one days' notice (excluding the day of mailing and the day of the meeting) shall be given in respect of each general meeting of the Company. The notice shall specify the venue and time of the meeting, the business to be transacted at the meeting and that a proxy may attend and vote on behalf of any shareholder. The requirements for quorum and majorities at all general meetings are set out in the articles of association of the Company (the "Articles of Association"). An ordinary resolution is a resolution passed by a simple majority of the votes cast and a special resolution is a resolution passed by a majority of 75% or more of the votes cast.

The Articles of Association provide that matters may be determined at a meeting of shareholders on a show of hands unless a poll is requested by five shareholders or shareholders holding 10% or more of the shares or unless the Chairman of the meeting requests a poll. Subject to disenfranchisement by law in the event of noncompliance with any notice requiring disclosure of the beneficial ownership of shares, the Articles of Association provide that each share gives the holder one vote in relation to any matters relating to the Company which are submitted to shareholders for a vote by poll, and each shareholder present at a meeting has one vote in relation to any matters relating to the Company which are submitted to shareholders for a vote by show of hands. If there are multiple share classes in existence, all shares of each class have equal voting rights, except that in matters affecting only a particular class, only shares of that class shall be entitled to vote.

Relations with shareholders (continued)

The Board monitors the trading activity and shareholder profile on a regular basis. Shareholder sentiment is also ascertained by the careful monitoring of the discount/premium at which the shares trade in the market against the Net Asset Value per share when compared to the discounts/premiums experienced by the Company's peer group.

The Company reports formally to shareholders twice each financial year and a proxy voting card is sent to shareholders with the annual report and financial statements. Additionally, the Investment Manager's monthly reports are available to shareholders through the Company's website. The Regulatory News Service of the

London Stock Exchange assist in keeping shareholders informed.

Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited (the "Registrar") monitors the voting of shareholders, and proxy voting is taken into consideration when votes are cast at the annual general meeting. Shareholders may contact the Directors via the Company Secretary.

Compliance with the UK Code

Throughout the financial year ended 31 December 2016, the Company has complied with the UK Code, with the following exceptions:

A4.1 - The Board has considered whether a Senior Independent Director should be appointed. In light of the fact that all Directors are non-executive and given the size and complexity of the Company, the Board has determined that this appointment is not necessary.

As outlined above, the Board considers that the appointment of a Senior Independent Director is not necessary given the size and complexity of the Company. However, in accordance with the Irish Code, the Board carries out an appraisal of the performance of the overall Board and of each Director (including the Chairman) on an annual basis, with a formal documented evaluation of the overall Board and of each Director (including the Chairman) taking place every three financial years. The Board considers that this appraisal process is appropriate for the Company.

B.1 - This provision is not fully complied with as it calls for a balance of executive and non-executive Directors and the Company only has non-executive Directors. However, the Directors have a broad range of experience and given the nature of the Company's activity and outsourcing of executive functions and that the majority of Directors are deemed to be independent under the UK Code, it is not considered necessary to appoint executive Directors.

B1.1 - While several Directors have served on the Board for more than nine years from the date of their first election, the Board considers these Directors to be independent because none of such Directors:

   --    Have been an employee of the Company or Group within the last five years; 

-- Have had within the last three years, a material business relationship with the Company either directly, or as a partner, shareholder, Director or senior employee of a body that has such a relationship with the Company;

-- Received or receives additional remuneration from the Company apart from a Director's fee, participates in the Company's share option or a performance related pay scheme, or is a member of the Company's pension scheme;

   --    Have close family ties with any of the Company's advisers, Directors or senior employees; 

-- Hold cross-directorships or have significant links with other Directors through involvement in other companies or bodies; or

   --    Represent a significant shareholder. 

Further, the Board considers such Directors to discharge their director duties in an independent manner.

B2.1 - There was no Nomination Committee in the financial year ended 31 December 2016 since the Board understands that market practice does not require a fund of this nature to have a nomination committee, and given the composition of the Board. The ordinary functions of a nomination committee will be performed by the Board as a whole.

B2.3 - This provision is complied with save that, all of the Directors are appointed pursuant to letters of appointment for a term which expires when the Director is (i) removed or vacates office; (ii) resigns, or (iii) terminates his appointment. A Director's appointment may be terminated in accordance with the Company's Articles of Association without compensation.

B2.4 - Whilst the Company does not have a formal diversity policy in place, diversity, including gender diversity, is considered by the Company in the evaluation of the Board and its performance, and will be taken into account in making any future Board appointments.

Compliance with the UK Code (continued)

C3.6 - Since the Company does not have any employees, the Company does not have an internal audit function. The Audit Committee annually considers whether an internal audit function is needed and makes a recommendation to the Board. The Board considers that an internal audit function is not necessary, given the size and complexity of the Company, and the use of an external auditor.

E.1 - Since the Company does not have any employees, it is the management team of the Investment Manager who has most regular contact with shareholders on behalf of the Board. Comments received from such shareholders are fed back to the Board both from the Investment Manager and the Company's brokers. All Directors are available to attend the Annual General Meeting, and are available to communicate with shareholders.

Compliance with the Irish Code

The Company adopted the Irish Code with effect from 31 December 2012, and has complied with the Irish Code with the following exception:

Paragraph 4.2 - This provision is not fully complied with as it recommends that at least one Director be an employee, partner or director of the promoter or Investment Manager. However, the Directors have a broad range of experience and it is considered that there is a good balance of skills and expertise on the Board. In addition, the Directors are satisfied with the support and reporting provided by the Investment Manager on an ongoing basis such that it is not considered necessary to have a representative of the Investment Manager on the Board.

Additional corporate governance disclosures under Irish Company Law

The Board is ultimately responsible for overseeing the establishment and maintenance of adequate internal control and risk management systems of the Company in relation to the financial reporting process. As the Company has no employees and all Directors serve in a non-executive capacity, all functions including the preparation of the financial statements have been outsourced. The Company has appointed State Street Fund Services (Ireland) Limited as its administrator consistent with the regulatory framework applicable to investment fund companies. The Administrator has functional responsibility for the preparation of the interim and annual financial statements and the maintenance of the accounting records. On appointing the Administrator, the Board noted that it was regulated by the Central Bank and, in the Board's opinion, had significant experience as an administrator. The Board also noted the independence of the Administrator from the Company's Investment Manager.

Subject to the supervision of the Board, the appointment of the Administrator is intended to manage rather than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve the Company's financial reporting objectives and can only provide reasonable and not absolute assurance against material misstatement or loss.

The Board and Audit Committee evaluates and discusses significant accounting and reporting issues as the need arises. The Board and Audit Committee review the financial statements prior to their approval, though it should be noted that such review does not include verification of information in the financial statements to source documents. The annual financial statements are subject to an independent audit.

Internal control and risk management systems in relation to financial reporting

The Administrator prepares the Company's financial statements and uses various internal controls and checklists to ensure the financial statements include complete and appropriate disclosures required under IFRS as adopted by the European Union and relevant legislation.

During the financial period of these financial statements, the Board was responsible for the review and approval of the annual financial statements as set out in the Statement of Directors' Responsibilities. The Board and the Audit Committee evaluate and discuss significant accounting and reporting issues as the need arises.

Capital structure

As at 31 December 2016, so far as the Directors are aware, no person other than those listed below was interested, directly or indirectly, in 5% or more of the issued share capital of the US Dollar share class in the Company:

 
                                        Number of       Percentage 
                                       US$ shares        of issued 
                                                     share capital 
   Name                                                  US$ class 
----------------------------------  -------------  --------------- 
 Nortrust Nominees Limited             83,812,843            15.43 
 BNY Custodial Nominees (Ireland) 
  Limited                              73,068,121            13.45 
 State Street Nominees Limited         63,832,838            11.75 
 Vidacos Nominees Limited              42,927,089             7.90 
 Securities Services Nominees 
  Limited                              36,066,790             6.64 
 HSBC Global Custody Nominee 
  (UK) Limited                         35,164,974             6.47 
----------------------------------  -------------  --------------- 
 

None of the above shareholders have shareholder rights different to those of other shareholders.

With regard to the appointment and replacement of Directors, the Company is governed by its Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2014, and the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority as applicable to investment funds. The Articles of Association themselves may be amended by special resolution of the shareholders.

Powers of the Directors

The Directors are responsible for managing the business affairs of the Company in accordance with the Articles of Association. The Directors may delegate certain functions to the Administrator and other parties, subject to the supervision and direction by the Directors. The Directors have delegated the day-to-day administration of the Company to the Administrator and the investment management function to the Investment Manager.

The Articles of Association provide that the Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money, to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property or any part thereof and may delegate these powers to the Investment Manager. However, the amount and circumstances in which the Company may borrow are limited by the Central Bank's non-UCITS Notices and the limitations set out in the Prospectus.

The Directors may at any time, and from time to time, temporarily suspend the calculation of the NAV and the issue and conversion of shares during:

-- any period when any of the principal markets or stock exchanges on which a substantial part of the investments are quoted is closed, otherwise than for ordinary holidays, or during which dealings thereon are restricted or suspended;

-- any period when, as a result of political, economic, military or monetary events or any circumstances outside the control, responsibility and power of the Directors, disposal or valuation of a substantial part of the investments is not reasonably practicable without this being seriously detrimental to the interests of the shareholders or if, in the opinion of the Directors, the Net Asset Value cannot be fairly calculated; and

-- any breakdown in the means of communication normally employed in determining the value of the investments or when for any reason the current prices on any market of a substantial part of the investments cannot be promptly and accurately ascertained.

Any suspension of the calculation of the NAV shall be notified immediately to the Central Bank. All reasonable steps will be taken to bring the period of suspension to an end as soon as possible. Where such a suspension of the NAV is likely to continue for a period exceeding ten business days, it will be notified by the Company by announcement through a Regulatory Information Service. The Directors may decline to accept any application for the issue of shares and may cease to offer shares in the Company for allotment or subscription for a definite period or otherwise.

RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Directors' Report and the Company's audited financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law, the Directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union ("IFRS") and applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2014.

Section 289 of the Companies Act 2014 provides that the Directors shall not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the Company's assets, liabilities and financial position as at the end of the financial year and of the profit or loss of the Company for that financial year.

In preparing the financial statements, the Directors are required to:

   --    select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 
   --    make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

-- state whether the financial statements comply with IFRS as adopted by the European Union and as applied in accordance with the Companies Act 2014; and

-- prepare the entity financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue in business.

Under applicable law and the requirements of the Irish Code and the Listing Rules issued by the UK Listing Authority, the Directors are also responsible for preparing a Directors' report and reports relating to Directors' remuneration and corporate governance that comply with that law and those rules. In particular, in accordance with the Transparency (Directive 2004/109/EC) Regulations 2007, as amended (the "Transparency Regulations"), the Directors are required to include in their report a fair review of the business and a description of the principal risks and uncertainties facing the Company and a responsibility statement relating to these and other matters, included below.

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records which correctly record and explain the transactions of the Company, and which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company, and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements of the Company are prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the EU, and comply with the Companies Act 2014, and enable the financial statements to be audited. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company, and, hence, for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the Company's website www.carador.co.uk. Legislation in the Republic of Ireland concerning the preparation and dissemination of financial statement may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Responsibility Statement, as required by the Transparency Regulations and UK Corporate Governance Code

Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed on page 13 of this Annual Report, confirm that, to the best of that Director's knowledge and belief:

-- the financial statements, prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the EU, and applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2014, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position of the Company as at 31 December 2016, and its profit or loss for the financial year then ended;

-- the Directors' report contained in the Annual Report includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the Company, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties it faces; and

-- the Annual Report and financial statements, taken as a whole, provides the information necessary to assess the Company's performance, business model and strategy and is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Company's position and performance, business model and strategy.

CONNECTED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Central Bank of Ireland Non-UCITS Notices, NU 2.10 - 'Dealings by promoter, manager, partner, trustee, investment adviser and group companies' states in paragraph one that any transaction carried out with a collective investment scheme by a promoter, manager, partner, trustee, investment adviser and/or associated or group companies of these ("connected parties") must be carried out as if negotiated at arm's length. Transactions must be in the best interests of the shareholders.

The Directors are satisfied that there are arrangements (evidenced by written procedures) in place, to ensure that the obligations set out in paragraph one of NU 2.10 are applied to all transactions with connected parties; and the Directors are satisfied that transactions with connected parties entered into during the period complied with the obligations set out in paragraph one of NU 2.10.

RETENTION REQUIREMENTS UNDER AIFMD

Under AIFMD, alternative investment fund managers ("AIFM") may only assume exposure to securitisations as defined therein on behalf of one or more alternative investment funds ("AlFs") if the originator, sponsor or original lender of the securitisation has explicitly disclosed to the AIFM that it retains, on an ongoing basis, a material net economic interest in the securitisation, which shall not be less than 5% (the "retention requirement"). The Company is an AIF for the purposes of AIFMD and the Investment Manager is designated as the AIFM of the Company. The Central Bank has noted that, in accordance with Article 67(1)(b) of AIFMD, ESMA was required to issue advice to the European Commission on the application of the AIFMD passport to non-EU AIFMs. If that advice is positive, the European Commission must adopt a delegated act specifying the date when the non-EU AIFM passport will be "turned on". The latest advice issued by ESMA was published on 19 July 2016, although it is not clear if or when the European Commission will adopt the delegated act envisaged under AIFMD. The Central Bank has noted that, as of the date of these financial statements, this process is underway and the outcome is not yet known and, accordingly, professional investor funds such as the Company can continue to be managed by non-EU AIFMs under the existing transitional arrangements until the European Commission has reached a decision. The Central Bank has stated that, at that time, this position will be revisited and, if necessary, revised to align it with the European Commission's decision and any transitional arrangements provided. Accordingly, it is difficult to predict with certainty if and when the transitional period applicable to non-EU AIFMs will expire and if the authorisation requirements under Article 37 of AIFMD will apply. If and when applicable, the retention requirement could operate as a material restriction on the investment activities of the Company. In particular, if CLOs then held by the Company do not meet with the retention requirement, corrective action may need to be taken to ensure compliance with AIFMD including disposal of the CLOs, thereby incurring additional costs and selling at a price less than would otherwise have been the case if the CLOs had been held for the desired length of time. In addition, the universe of CLOs which adhere to the retention requirement may be limited and restrict the ability of the Company to pursue its investment objective and policy.

These and other restrictions and/or conditions imposed by AIFMD may result in (i) the restructuring of the Company and/or its relationships with service providers, and (ii) restrictions on the investment activities the Investment Manager or the Company may engage in.

AUDITORS

So far as the Directors are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company's auditors are unaware and the Directors have taken all the steps that should have been taken as Directors in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company's auditors are aware of that information.

The auditors, KPMG, have signified their willingness to continue in office in accordance with Section 383(2) of the Companies Act 2014.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:

   Werner Schwanberg                        Adrian Waters 

26 April 2017

 
 
 

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Dear Shareholder,

I am pleased to report to you on the activities of the Audit Committee for the financial year ended 31 December 2016.

ROLE OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

The Board has established a terms of reference in respect of the composition of the Audit Committee, its role, responsibilities, authority and evidence of the delegated authorities given to its members (the "Terms of Reference"). The Company applies the revised UK Code as introduced by the FRC in September 2014 which relate to financial years commencing on or after 1 October 2014.

The Audit Committee's main roles and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

-- monitoring the financial reporting process of the Company, the integrity of the financial statements and any formal announcements relating to the Company's financial performance;

   --    assessing any significant financial reporting judgements; 

-- reviewing and monitoring the effectiveness of the Company's risk management and internal control arrangements;

   --    monitoring the statutory audit of the annual accounts of the Company and its effectiveness; 
   --    reviewing the external auditor's performance, independence and objectivity; 

-- making recommendations to the Board in relation to the appointment, re-appointment and/or removal of the external auditor, the approval of the external auditor's remuneration and the terms of the engagement;

-- implementing policies surrounding the engagement of the external auditor to supply non-audit services (where appropriate);

-- contributing to a climate of discipline and control which is aimed at reducing the opportunity for fraud;

   --    reporting to the Board on how it has discharged its responsibilities; and 
   --    developing the long term viability statement. 

In regard to the above responsibilities, I confirm, on behalf of the Audit Committee (the "Committee"), that, to the best of our knowledge and belief, the Committee fulfilled its responsibilities in line with our Terms of Reference and in accordance with the UK Code.

DELEGATION OF DUTIES

The Company has no employees as all functions, including preparation of the financial statements, have been outsourced to various service providers. The daily operational activities have been outsourced to GSO / Blackstone Debt Funds Management LLC (the "Investment Manager"), the Administrator, State Street Custodial Services (Ireland) Limited (the "Custodian"), the Registrar and Company Secretary (together, the "outsourced service providers").

MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE

The Committee was established on 17 April 2007 and consists of Nicholas Moss, Fergus Sheridan and myself, Adrian Waters, as chairman.

All the members of the Committee are independent non-executive directors and the Committee has concluded that its membership meets the requirements of C.3.1 of the UK Code. Each Committee member is expected to be financially literate and to have knowledge of the following key areas:

1. financial reporting principles and accounting standards;

2. the regulatory framework within which the Company operates;

3. the Company's internal control and risk management environment; and

4. factors impacting the Company's Financial Statements.

As a Committee, we meet at least three times a financial year. Personnel from the Company's outsourced service providers along with representatives of the Company's external auditor, KPMG, attend the Committee meetings when appropriate.

 
 
 

In his role as a member of the Committee, each member is available to discuss any particular matter with his fellow Board members and, in addition, the Committee has the opportunity to meet with KPMG without the presence of outsourced service providers. In order to ensure that all Directors are kept up to date and informed of the Committee's work, I provide a verbal report to the Board at Board meetings on key matters discussed at the Committee meetings. In addition, the minutes of all Committee meetings are available to the Board.

HOW THE AUDIT COMMITTEE HAS DISCHARGED ITS RESPONSIBILITIES

In the financial year under review, the Audit Committee has met three times, attendance at which is set out in the Directors report. The Committee meetings focused on the following key areas:

Monitoring the integrity of the financial statements including significant judgements

-- The Committee reviewed the appropriateness of the Company's accounting principles and policies, and monitored changes to, and compliance with, accounting standards on an ongoing basis;

-- Prior to recommending their publication to the Board, the Committee reviewed the Unaudited Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements ("Unaudited Interim Report") for the six month period ended 30 June 2016, having previously discussed the Unaudited Interim Report with the outsourced service providers and KPMG. The Committee compared the results with management accounts and budgets, focusing on key areas of judgements; and

-- The Committee reviewed, prior to making any recommendations to the Board, the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements ("Annual Report") for the financial year ended 31 December 2016. In undertaking this review, the Committee discussed with outsourced service providers and KPMG the critical accounting policies and judgements that have been applied.

KPMG reported to the Committee on any misstatements that they had found during the course of their work and confirmed that under ISAs (UK and Ireland), no material misstatements were identified.

The Committee considered the requirements of the UK Code, in line with best practice reporting. The Committee specifically reviewed the annual report and financial statements to conclude whether the financial reporting is fair, balanced, understandable, comprehensive and consistent with (i) prior year reporting; and (ii) how the Board assesses the performance of the Company's business during the financial year, as required for companies with a Premium Listing under the UK Corporate Governance Code. As part of this review, the Committee considered if the annual report and financial statements provided the information necessary to shareholders to assess the Company's performance, strategy and business model and reviewed the description of the Company's key performance indicators.

The Committee presented its conclusions to the Board and the Board concluded that it considered the annual report and financial statements, taken as a whole, to be fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for the shareholders to assess the Company's performance, business model and strategy.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING MATTERS

During the financial year, the Committee considered key accounting issues, matters and judgements regarding the Company's financial statements and disclosures including those relating to:

Valuation of Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss

Valuation of financial assets is considered a significant matter and is monitored by the Investment Manager, the Administrator, the Custodian, the Committee and the Board of Directors. The Committee receives and reviews reports on the processes for the valuation of assets on a regular basis. The Committee may propose or recommend changes based on their review of the reports for their consideration, including the adequacy of the relevant disclosures in the financial statements. The Committee discussed the valuation process and methodology with the Investment Manager in August 2016 as part of the review of the Interim Report. The Investment Manager carries out a valuation monthly and provides a detailed valuation report to the Company. The Committee met with the external auditor at the time at which the Committee reviewed and agreed the external auditor's audit plan in January 2017 and, in particular, discussed the audit approach on the valuation. Following discussion, the Committee were satisfied that the judgements made and methodologies applied were objective and appropriate and that the appropriate accounting treatment has been adopted. KPMG report to the Committee on their assessment of the Company's valuation methodologies and procedures applied financial year on financial year, as well as the consideration if the valuation of assets is fairly stated. Please see further details outlined in notes 2, 3 and 10 to the financial statements.

Assessment of Consolidation Requirements

For the Unaudited Interim Report and the Annual Report, relevant discussions and analysis was undertaken on behalf of the Committee by the Investment Manager in relation to the Company's holdings in subordinated tranches of CLOs and the definition of control under IFRS 10. The Committee discussed the assessment of the consolidation requirements with the Investment Manager in August 2016 as part of the review of the Interim Report. The Investment Manager carries out this assessment semi-annually and reports to the Company. The Committee met with the external auditor at the time at which the Committee reviewed and agreed the external auditor's audit plan in January 2017 and, in particular, discussed the audit approach on the assessment of the consolidation requirements.

The Committee critically reviewed, evaluated and agreed, having consulted with the Investment Manager, that the Company meets the definition of an Investment Entity and availed of the Investment Entity Amendment under IFRS 10. Furthermore, analysis was performed on behalf of the Committee by the Investment Manager to establish the existence of any subsidiaries at financial year end under IFRS 10. Following discussion with KPMG, and the deliberations of the Committee, we were satisfied that the financial statements deal appropriately with each of the areas of judgement and applicable IFRS 10 and IFRS 12 requirements. Based on this assessment, the Board has concluded that at financial year end, the Company has four subsidiaries for financial reporting purposes, Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A, Neuberger Berman CLO XVII Ltd 2014-17X, Pinnacle Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A and Sheridan Square CLO Ltd in accordance with IFRS 10. Please see further details outlined in notes 2 and 8 to the financial statements.

Assessment of Risks and Uncertainties

The risks associated with the Company's financial instruments, as disclosed in the financial statements, particularly in note 10, represent a key accounting disclosure. The Committee critically reviews, on the basis of input from the outsourced service providers, the process of ongoing identification and measurement of these risks disclosures.

 
 
 

Other Matters

Prior to preparation of the 2016 Annual Report and the financial year end audit, the Committee considered the effect of any key new reporting requirements impacting the Company. During the financial year, the Committee received communications from the outsourced service providers and from KPMG on other accounting matters including tax, audit fees, anti-money laundering procedures, as well as a representation letter and Unaudited Interim Report.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND INTERNAL CONTROLS

The Board as a whole is responsible for the Company's system of internal control; however, the Committee assists the Board in meeting its obligations in this regard. The daily operational activities of the Company were delegated to the outsourced service providers and, as a result, the Company has no direct internal audit function and instead places reliance on the external and internal audit controls applicable to the outsourced service providers as regulated entities. However, the Committee receives confirmations from the outsourced service providers that no material issues have arisen in respect of the system of internal controls and risk management operated within the Company's outsourced service providers. The Committee confirms that this is an ongoing process in order to manage the significant risks faced by the Company. We deem that, to date, there are no significant issues in this area which need to be brought to your attention.

EXTERNAL AUDIT

It is the responsibility of the Committee to monitor the performance, independence, objectivity and re-appointment of KPMG. In January 2017, the Committee met with KPMG who presented their Audit Strategy and Plan for the financial year; the Committee agreed the audit plan for the financial year, highlighting the key financial statement and audit risks, to seek to ensure that the audit was appropriately focused.

KPMG attends our Committee meetings throughout the financial year, as appropriate, which allows the opportunity to discuss any matters the auditor may wish to raise without the Investment Manager or other outsourced service providers being present. KPMG provides feedback at each Committee meeting on topics such as the key accounting matters, mandatory communications and the control environment.

KPMG was formally appointed as the Company's auditor for the 2010 financial year end audit following a competitive tender process during 2010. The lead audit partner is rotated every five financial years to ensure continued independence and objectivity.

The Committee continues to be satisfied with the performance of KPMG. We have therefore recommended to the Board that KPMG, in accordance with agreed terms of engagement and remuneration, should continue as the Company's auditor at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

EXTERNAL AUDIT (continued)

In advance of the commencement of the annual audit, the Committee reviewed a statement provided by KPMG confirming their independence within the meaning of the regulations and professional standards. In addition, in order to satisfy itself as to KPMG's independence, the Committee undertook a review of the auditor compensation and the balance between audit and non-audit fees.

It is also the responsibility of the Committee to approve the guidelines for using the external auditors for non-audit work, and to annually assess the work done to ensure that the independence of the external auditors is maintained and to ensure appropriate disclosures of these services are included in the annual report. The Committee is the first point of call for discussion with the auditor when required. Annually, the Committee reviews the schedule of audit and non-audit fees of the auditor with particular regard to the auditors' independence and objectivity. The Committee has agreed the types of permitted and non-permitted non-audit services and those which require explicit pre-approval. During the financial year, the value of non-audit services provided by KPMG amounted to US$33,170 plus VAT (2015: US$33,170 plus VAT). Whilst non-audit services as a proportion of audit services amount to approximately 16.98% (2015: 16.90%), the overall quantum of non-audit services is not considered to be material. Please refer to note 4 for more details.

On 17 June 2016, new EU rules, Statutory Instrument No.312 of 2016, on statutory audit became applicable. The new rules establish a list of non-audit services that cannot be provided by the statutory auditor and imposes limitations on the fees charged for non-audit services. In addition to the review for ensuring compliance with the new EU rules, the Audit Committee performs an assessment of any threats to independence and the safeguards in place to mitigate such threats before providing approval for the provision of any non-audit services. The audit committee is satisfied with the charge for non audit services during the financial year in proportion to audit fees.

COMMITTEE EFFECTIVENESS

The effectiveness of the Committee is reviewed on an annual basis by both the Board and the Committee itself. Following such reviews, I am pleased to advise that the Committee is considered to continue to operate effectively and efficiently.

A member of the Committee will be available to shareholders at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of the Company to answer any questions relating to the role of the Committee.

Yours sincerely

Adrian Waters

On behalf of the Audit Committee

26 April 2017

 
 
 

STATEMENT OF CUSTODIAN'S RESPONSIBILITIES AND CUSTODIAN'S REPORT TO THE SHAREHOLDERS

We have enquired into the conduct of the Company for the financial year ended 31 December 2016, in our capacity as Custodian to the Company.

This report including the opinion has been prepared for and solely for the shareholders in the Company, in accordance with the Central Bank of Ireland's (the "Central Bank") Non-UCITS Notice 7 ("Non-UCITS Notice 7"), and for no other purpose.

We do not, in giving this opinion, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CUSTODIAN

Our duties and responsibilities are outlined in the Non-UCITS Notice 7. One of those duties is to enquire into the conduct of the Company in each annual accounting period and report thereon to the shareholders.

Our report shall state whether, in our opinion, the Company has been managed in that period in accordance with the provisions of the Company's Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Non-UCITS Notices. It is the overall responsibility of the Company to comply with these provisions. If the Company has not so complied, we as Custodian must state why this is the case and outline the steps which we have taken to rectify the situation.

BASIS OF CUSTODIAN OPINION

The Custodian conducts such reviews as it, in its reasonable opinion, considers necessary in order to comply with its duties as outlined in Non-UCITS Notice 7 and to ensure that, in all material respects, the Company has been managed:

(i) in accordance with the limitations imposed on the investment and borrowing powers of the Company by the provisions of its memorandum and articles of association and by the Central Bank under the powers granted to the Central Bank by the Companies Act 2014; and

(ii) otherwise in accordance with the Company's memorandum and articles of association and the Companies Act 2014.

OPINION

In our opinion, the Company has been managed during the financial year, in all material respects:

(i) in accordance with the limitations imposed on the investment and borrowing powers of the Company by the Memorandum and Articles of Association and by the Central Bank under the powers granted to it by Part 24 of the Companies Act 2014; and

(ii) otherwise in accordance with the provisions of the Memorandum and Articles of Association and Part 24 of the Companies Act 2014.

State Street Custodial Services (Ireland) Limited

78 Sir John Rogerson's Quay

Dublin 2

Ireland

26 April 2017

 
 
 

INDEPENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF CARADOR INCOME FUND PLC

Opinions and conclusions arising from our audit

1 Our opinion on the financial statements is unmodified

We have audited the financial statements of Carador Income Fund PLC (the "Company") for the year ended 31 December 2016 which comprise the statement of financial position, the statement of comprehensive income, the statement of changes in equity, the statement of cash flows and notes, comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is Irish law and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as adopted by the European Union. Our audit was conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing ("ISAs") (UK & Ireland).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

-- give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities and financial position of the Company as at 31 December

2016     and of its profit for the year then ended; 

-- have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union; and

-- have been properly prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2014.

2 Our assessment of risks of material misstatement

In arriving at our audit opinion above on the financial statements, the risk of material misstatement that has had the greatest effect on our audit was as follows:

Valuation of financial assets at fair value through profit or loss of US $406m (2015: US$380m)

Please refer to the Report of the Audit Committee on page 24, the accounting policy on page 37 and notes 3, 8 and 10 to the financial statements.

The risk

The Company had 96.2% (2015: 96.7%) of its net assets as at 31 December 2016 invested into Collateralised Loan Obligations ('CLOs"). As described in the Report of the Audit Committee on page 25, the valuation of the Company's investments in these CLOs, given that they represent the majority of the Company's net assets, is a significant area of our audit. The valuation of this asset class is based on prevailing market information (broker price approach) at the valuation date. There is a risk that the prices in respect of these investments held by the Company may not be reflective of fair value.

Our response

Our audit procedures in respect of the valuation of the Company's investments in the CLOs included, but were not limited to: updating our understanding and critical assessment of the design and implementation of the valuation methodologies and valuation processes established by the Directors; obtaining the broker quotations as used by the Investment Manager and recalculating the valuation of the investments using the broker price approach; and with the assistance of a KPMG valuation specialist, assessing whether the valuation of the Company's investments was within an acceptable range of fair values and consideration of post year end valuation of the Company's investments along with purchases and sales pre and post financial year end for evidence of management bias.

With the involvement of a KPMG valuation specialist, for the assessment of whether the valuation of the Company's investments was within an acceptable range, our substantive testing included the determination of an independent fair value reference for 100% of the mezzanine tranche investments. For the equity tranche securities, we performed individual securities valuation testing through fundamental cash flow analysis on a sample of equity tranche investments held as at year end, along with the performance of a market review analysis.

We also considered the adequacy of the Company's disclosures (see note 2N) in relation to: the use of judgments and estimates in determining the fair value of investments; the Company's investment valuation policies adopted; and fair value disclosures in note 3 and note 10 to the financial statements for compliance with IFRS as adopted by the EU.

We confirmed that there were no matters identified during our audit work in relation to the valuation of financial assets through profit or loss that we wanted to bring to the attention of the Audit Committee.

3 Our application of materiality and an overview of the scope of our audit

The materiality for the financial statements as a whole was set at US$4.2 million (2015: US$3.9 million). This has been determined using a benchmark of the Company's net assets (of which it represents 1% (2015: 1%)) as at 31 December 2016 which we determined, in our professional judgment, to be one of the principal benchmarks within the financial statements relevant to the Shareholders of the Company in assessing financial performance, and this is also a generally accepted auditing benchmark used for companies in this industry.

We report to the Audit Committee all corrected and uncorrected misstatements we identified through our audit with a value in excess of US$0.2 million (2015: US$0.2 million), in addition to other audit misstatements below that threshold that we believe warranted reporting on qualitative grounds.

Our assessment of materiality has informed our identification of significant risks of material misstatement and the associated audit procedures performed in the area detailed above. Those procedures have been designed to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements, taken as a whole, are free from material misstatements.

Other than the valuation work noted above, the audit procedures have been undertaken and performed by the audit team based in Dublin.

4 We have nothing to report on the disclosures of principal risks

Based on the knowledge we acquired during our audit, we have nothing material to add or draw attention to, in relation to:

-- the Directors' viability statement on page 18, concerning the principal risks, their management, and, based on that, the Directors' assessment and expectations of the Company continuing in operation over the next twelve months to 30 April 2018; and

-- the disclosures in note 2 of the financial statements concerning the use of the going concern basis of preparation.

5 We have nothing to report in respect of the matters on which we are required to report by exception

ISAs (UK & Ireland) require that we report to you if, based on the knowledge we acquired during our audit, we have identified information in the Annual Report that contains a material inconsistency with either that knowledge or the financial statements, a material misstatement of fact, or that is otherwise misleading.

In particular, we are required to report to you if:

-- we have identified any inconsistencies between the knowledge we acquired during our audit and the Directors' statements that they consider the Annual Report and financial statements as a whole is fair, balanced and understandable and provided information necessary for Shareholders to assess the Company's position and performance, business model and strategy; or

-- the Report of the Audit Committee does not appropriately disclose those matters that we communicated to the Audit Committee.

The Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority require us to review:

-- the Directors' statement, set out on page 18, in relation to going concern and longer-term viability;

-- the part of the Corporate Governance Statement on pages 13 to 21 relating to the Company's compliance with the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code specified for our review; and

-- certain elements of disclosures in the report to Shareholders by the Board of Directors' Remuneration Committee.

In addition, the Companies Act requires us to report to you if, in our opinion, the disclosures of Directors' remuneration and transactions specified by law are not made.

6 Our conclusions on other matters on which we are required to report by the Companies Act 2014 are set out below

We have obtained all the information and explanations which we consider necessary for the purpose of our audit. In our opinion, the accounting records of the Company were sufficient to permit the financial statements to be readily and properly audited and the financial statements are in agreement with the accounting records.

In our opinion, the information given in the Directors' Report is consistent with the financial statements and the description in the Corporate Governance Statement of the main features of the internal control and risk

6 Our conclusions on other matters on which we are required to report by the Companies Act 2014 are set out below (continued)

management systems in relation to the process for preparing the financial statements is consistent with the financial statements.

In addition we report, in relation to information given in the Corporate Governance Statement on pages 13 to 21, that:

-- based on knowledge and understanding of the Company and its environment obtained in the course of our audit, no material misstatements in the information identified above have come to our attention; and

-- based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit, in our opinion:

- the description of the main features of the internal control and risk management systems in relation to the process for preparing the financial statements, and information relating to voting rights and other matters required by the European Communities (Takeover Bids Directive 2004/25/EC)) Regulations 2006 and specified by the Companies Act 2014 for our consideration, are consistent with the financial statements and have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2014; and

- the Corporate Governance Statement contains the information required by the Companies Act 2014.

Basis of our report, responsibilities and restrictions on use

As explained more fully in the Directors' Responsibilities Statement set out on page 22, the Directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and ISAs (UK & Ireland). Those standards require us to comply with the Financial Reporting Council's Ethical Standards for Auditors.

An audit undertaken in accordance with ISAs (UK & Ireland) involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to give reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes an assessment of: whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the Company's circumstances and have been consistently applied and adequately disclosed; the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by the Directors; and the overall presentation of the financial statements.

In addition, we read all the financial and non-financial information in the Annual Report to identify material inconsistencies with the audited financial statements and to identify any information that is apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially inconsistent with, the knowledge acquired by us in the course of performing the audit. If we become aware of any apparent material misstatements or inconsistencies, we consider the implications for our report.

Whilst an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK & Ireland) is designed to provide reasonable assurance of identifying material misstatements or omissions, it is not guaranteed to do so. Rather, the auditor plans the audit to determine the extent of testing needed to reduce to an appropriately low level the probability that the aggregate of uncorrected and undetected misstatements does not exceed materiality for the financial statements as a whole. This testing requires us to conduct significant audit work on a broad range of assets, liabilities, income and expense as well as devoting significant time of the most experienced members of the audit team, in particular the engagement partner responsible for the audit, to subjective areas of the accounting and reporting.

Our report is made solely to the Company's Shareholders, as a body, in accordance with section 391 of the Companies Act 2014. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Company's Shareholders those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company and the Company's Shareholders as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Vincent Reilly

for and on behalf of

KPMG

Chartered Accountants, Statutory Audit Firm

1 Harbourmaster Place

IFSC

Dublin1 Ireland

26 April 2017

 
 
 

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

As at 31 December 2016

 
                                                 31 December   31 December 
                                                        2016          2015 
                                       Notes             US$           US$ 
-----------------------------------  ---------  ------------  ------------ 
 ASSETS 
 Cash and cash equivalents             5, 10      16,682,060    28,044,711 
 Other receivables                       10        1,357,374        17,981 
 Financial assets at fair 
  value through profit or loss*       3, 8, 10   405,793,835   379,662,763 
 TOTAL ASSETS                                    423,833,269   407,725,455 
-----------------------------------  ---------  ------------  ------------ 
 
 LIABILITIES 
 Expenses payable                        4         2,092,950     1,868,391 
 Payable for investments purchased                         -    13,019,620 
 TOTAL LIABILITIES                                 2,092,950    14,888,011 
-----------------------------------  ---------  ------------  ------------ 
 
 NET ASSETS ATTRIBUTABLE TO PARTICIPATING 
  EQUITY SHAREHOLDERS                            421,740,319   392,837,444 
----------------------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 
 NET ASSET VALUE PER PARTICIPATING US 
  DOLLAR SHARE                                        0.7763        0.7231 
----------------------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 

* Balances include investment in unconsolidated subsidiaries. Please refer to note 8 for further detail.

These financial statements were authorised and approved for issue by the Directors on 26 April 2017 and signed on their behalf by:

   Werner Schwanberg                           Adrian Waters 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the financial statements.

STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

For the financial year ended 31 December 2016

 
                                               31 December     31 December 
                                                      2016            2015 
                                       Notes           US$             US$ 
------------------------------------  ------  ------------  -------------- 
 Interest income on cash 
  and cash equivalents                   2           2,854           2,336 
 Miscellaneous income                               44,237         166,783 
 Net loss on foreign exchange            2        (34,446)        (13,184) 
 Net gain/(loss) on financial 
  assets at fair value through 
  profit or loss                         2      86,289,722    (32,880,390) 
------------------------------------  ------  ------------  -------------- 
 TOTAL REVENUE/(EXPENSE)                        86,302,367    (32,724,455) 
------------------------------------  ------  ------------  -------------- 
 
 Investment management fees              4     (5,107,521)     (6,342,328) 
 Custodian fees                          4        (63,136)        (71,388) 
 Administration fees                     4       (291,977)       (350,126) 
 Directors' fees                       4, 9      (344,249)       (329,640) 
 Auditor's fees                          4       (199,529)       (200,033) 
 Other operating expenses                4       (955,823)     (1,239,107) 
------------------------------------  ------  ------------  -------------- 
 TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES                      (6,962,235)     (8,532,622) 
------------------------------------  ------  ------------  -------------- 
 OPERATING PROFIT/(LOSS) 
  BEFORE FINANCE COSTS                          79,340,132    (41,257,077) 
------------------------------------  ------  ------------  -------------- 
 
 Facility costs                         11       (151,994)       (145,306) 
 Interest expense                                 (34,328)         (6,940) 
--------------------------------------------  ------------  -------------- 
 TOTAL FINANCE COSTS                             (186,322)       (152,246) 
--------------------------------------------  ------------  -------------- 
 
   PROFIT/(LOSS) FOR THE FINANCIAL 
   YEAR ALL ATTRIBUTABLE TO PARTICIPATING 
   EQUITY SHAREHOLDERS                          79,153,810    (41,409,323) 
--------------------------------------------  ------------  -------------- 
 
 TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME/(EXPENSE) 
  FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ALL ATTRIBUTABLE 
  TO PARTICIPATING EQUITY SHAREHOLDERS          79,153,810    (41,409,323) 
 
 EARNINGS(LOSS) PER SHARE 
 Earnings/(loss) per US                 13         US$0.15       US$(0.08) 
  Dollar share 
------------------------------------  ------  ------------  -------------- 
 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the financial statements.

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

For the financial year ended 31 December 2016

 
                                                                    31 December 
                                                       Notes            2016 
                                                                        US$ 
----------------------------------------------  ------------  ----------------- 
 AT 31 DECEMBER 2014                                             488,572,102 
----------------------------------------------  ------------  ----------------- 
 TRANSACTIONS WITH PARTICIPATING EQUITY 
  SHAREHOLDERS 
 Distributions to participating equity 
  shareholders                                       16          (54,325,335) 
 
 TOTAL TRANSACTIONS WITH PARTICIPATING 
  EQUITY SHAREHOLDERS                                            (54,325,335) 
----------------------------------------------  ------------  ----------------- 
 Loss for the financial year all attributable 
  to participating equity shareholders                           (41,409,323) 
----------------------------------------------  ------------  ----------------- 
 TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE EXPENSE FOR THE 
  FINANCIAL YEAR ALL ATTRIBUTABLE TO 
  PARTICIPATING EQUITY SHAREHOLDERS                              (41,409,323) 
 
 
 AT 31 DECEMBER 2015                                             392,837,444 
----------------------------------------------  ------------  ----------------- 
 TRANSACTIONS WITH PARTICIPATING EQUITY 
  SHAREHOLDERS 
 Distributions to participating equity 
  shareholders                                       16          (50,250,935) 
 
 TOTAL TRANSACTIONS WITH PARTICIPATING 
  EQUITY SHAREHOLDERS                                            (50,250,935) 
 
 Profit for the financial year all 
  attributable to participating equity 
  shareholders                                                    79,153,810 
----------------------------------------------  ------------  ----------------- 
 TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE 
  FINANCIAL YEAR ALL ATTRIBUTABLE TO 
  PARTICIPATING EQUITY SHAREHOLDERS                               79,153,810 
 
 AT 31 DECEMBER 2016                                             421,740,319 
----------------------------------------------  ------------  ----------------- 
 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the financial statements.

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the financial year ended 31 December 2016

 
                                                        31 December     31 December 
                                                               2016            2015 
                                              Notes             US$             US$ 
 --------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES 
 Profit/(loss) for the financial 
 year all attributable to participating 
 equity shareholders                                     79,153,810    (41,409,323) 
 Adjustments for non-cash items 
  and working capital: 
 Increase/(decrease) in payables             2,4,10         224,559        (18,801) 
 Increase in receivables                      2,10      (1,339,393)        (17,981) 
 Net (gain)/loss on financial 
  assets at fair value                        2,10     (25,581,028)     100,339,186 
 NET CASH INFLOW FROM OPERATING 
  ACTIVITIES                                             52,457,948      58,893,081 
------------------------------------------  -------  --------------  -------------- 
 
 CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES 
 Purchase of investments*                             (193,510,157)    (81,773,650) 
 Disposal and paydowns of investments                   163,916,116      94,492,259 
 Movement in cash equivalents                  5         16,024,377               - 
------------------------------------------  -------  --------------  -------------- 
 NET CASH (OUTFLOW)/INFLOW FROM 
  INVESTING ACTIVITIES                                 (13,569,664)      12,718,609 
------------------------------------------  -------  --------------  -------------- 
 
 CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES 
 Distributions to participating 
  equity shareholders                          16      (50,250,935)    (54,325,335) 
 NET CASH OUTFLOW FROM FINANCING 
  ACTIVITIES                                           (50,250,935)    (54,325,335) 
------------------------------------------  -------  --------------  -------------- 
 
 Net (decrease)/increase in cash 
  and cash equivalents                                 (11,362,651)      17,286,355 
 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT 
  THE BEGINNING OF THE FINANCIAL 
  YEAR                                                   28,044,711      10,758,356 
------------------------------------------  -------  --------------  -------------- 
 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT 
  THE OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR                          16,682,060      28,044,711 
------------------------------------------  -------  --------------  -------------- 
 
 

* Balances include investment in unconsolidated subsidiaries. Please see note 8 for further detail.

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the financial statements.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the financial year ended 31 December 2016

   1   GENERAL 

Carador Income Fund PLC is a closed-ended limited liability investment company domiciled and incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Ireland with variable capital pursuant to the Irish Companies Act 2014. It was incorporated on 20 February 2006 under registration number 415764. The Company is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland ("Central Bank"), pursuant to Part 24 of the Companies Act 2014. It is admitted to the Official List of the UK Listing Authority with a premium listing and is admitted to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.

The Company's investment objective is to produce attractive and stable returns, with low volatility compared to equity markets, by investing in a diversified portfolio of senior notes of collateralised loan obligations ("CLOs") collateralised by senior secured bank loans and equity and mezzanine tranches of CLOs.

At 31 December 2016, all shares in issue were US Dollar shares. The Company may issue one or more additional classes of shares on prior notice to and clearance by the Central Bank.

   2   SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 

2A STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE

The Company's financial statements are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") as adopted by the European Union and also in accordance with Irish Company Law.

2B ADOPTION OF NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS AND AMMENTS, INCLUDING ACCOUNTING POLICY CHANGES

The Company has consistently applied the accounting requirements to all periods presented in these financial statements. The Company adopted the following new standards during the year ended 31 December 2016:

Investment Entities: Applying the Consolidation Exception (Amendments to IFRS 10, IFRS 12 and lAS 28). These amendments, clarify that an investment entity may provide investment-related services to third parties - even if those activities are substantial to the entity - as long as the entity continues to meet the definition of an investment entity. The amendments are effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2016. The Company is satisfied that it meets both the required criteria and typical characteristics of an investment entity. The relevant disclosures are included in note 8. The adoption of these new amendments does not have a significant impact on its financial statements.

Amendment to IAS1 "Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure Initiative" this amendment introduces five narrow-focus improvements to the disclosure requirements that relate to materiality, order of the notes, subtotals, accounting policies and disaggregation. The amendment is not expected to have any impact on the Company's financial position, performance but may result in a variation of disclosures in its financial statements.

There were no other new requirements that impacted the Company's financial statements.

2C BASIS OF PREPARATION

The Company's financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis, except for financial instruments measured at fair value through profit or loss.

The functional currency of the Company is US Dollar (US$), as the Directors have determined that this reflects the Company's primary economic environment. The presentation currency of the financial statements is also US Dollar.

The financial statements comprise the Company's statement of financial position, statement of comprehensive income, statement of changes in equity and statement of cash flows together with the related notes. These notes also incorporate financial instrument related disclosures which are required by IFRS 7 that are contained in the Annual Report in the section entitled "Investment Manager's review".

The Company qualifies as an investment entitiy and, therefore, the Company does not consolidate subsidiaries but accounts for them at fair value through profit or loss.

The Company's management has made an assessment of the Company's ability to continue as a going concern and is satisfied that the Company has the resources to continue for the foreseeable future.

   2   SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued) 

2C BASIS OF PREPARATION (continued)

While there is uncertainty surrounding the potential repurchase opportunity, the Directors believe that should a repurchase opportunity be presented to Shareholders, it is unlikely that elections for repurchase will constitute a material part of the shares. The Directors believe that this is supported by the announcement in November 2016 that they may consider offering Shareholders potential repurchase opportunities on a more frequent basis. Subject to any necessary changes to the Articles being approved, the Directors intend to consider every two and a half years whether to put an ordinary resolution to shareholders to approve a repurchase opportunity for up to 100% of the shares in issue. The Directors believe that it is unlikely that they will need to consider whether a winding-up resolution should instead be put to Shareholders should the share repurchases reach 75%.

Further, the Company's only liabilities are expenses paid to service providers. The key liabilities are linked to NAV and thus fluctuate as the NAV of the Company increases and decreases, subject to a minimum in certain cases. This results in the Company being able to comfortably cover the liabilities as they fall due.

The Directors have concluded that these circumstances do not represent a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt upon the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, and that the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company will continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For these reasons, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the annual financial statements.

2D INTEREST INCOME AND INTEREST EXPENSE ON CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Income receivable on cash and cash equivalents is recognised separately through profit or loss in the statement of comprehensive income, on an effective interest rate basis.

2E PARTICIPATING EQUITY SHARES

The shares of the Company are classified as equity based on the substance of the contractual arrangements and in accordance with the definition of equity instruments under IAS 32. The proceeds from the issue of participating shares are recognised in the statement of changes in equity, net of the incremental issuance costs.

2F FEES AND CHARGES

Expenses are charged through profit or loss in the statement of comprehensive income on an accruals basis.

2G CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Cash comprises current deposits with banks. Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash, are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value, and are held for the purpose of meeting short-term cash commitments rather than for investments or other purposes.

2H NET GAIN/(LOSS) ON FINANCIAL ASSETS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS

Net gain/(loss) on financial assets at fair value through profit or loss consists of coupons received and both realised and unrealised gains and losses on financial assets at fair value through profit or loss, calculated as described in note 2I(iii). For the purposes of the statement of cash flows, the coupon income is considered an operating activity.

2I FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

(i) Classification

The Company classifies its financial assets and financial liabilities into categories in accordance with IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement.

The category of financial assets and financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss comprises:

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss other than those held for trading

Financial assets classified in this category are designated by management on initial recognition as part of a group of financial assets which are managed and their performance evaluated on a fair value basis, in accordance with a documented investment strategy. The term "financial assets designated at fair value through profit or loss" includes investments in collateralised loan obligations. IFRS 10's Investment Entity Amendment also requires subsidiaries to be accounted for at fair value through profit or loss in accordance with IAS 39.

   2   SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued) 

2I FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (continued)

Financial assets at amortised cost

Loans and receivables are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market, and they are carried at amortised cost. The Company includes in this category cash and cash equivalents and other receivables. The amortised cost of a financial asset is the amount at which the instrument is measured at initial recognition (its fair value) adjusted for initial direct costs, minus principal repayments, plus or minus the cumulative amortisation, using an effective interest rate method, of any difference between the initial amount recognised and the maturity amount, minus any reduction for impairment. The Company includes in this category expenses payable and amounts payable for investments purchased.

(ii) Recognition and initial measurement

Financial assets and financial liabilities are measured initially at fair value, being the transaction price, including transaction costs for items that will subsequently be measured at amortised cost, on the trade date, which is the date on which the Company becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Transaction costs on financial assets at fair value through profit or loss are expensed immediately.

(iii) Subsequent measurement

After initial measurement, the Company measures financial instruments classified at fair value through profit or loss at their fair values. Changes in fair value are recorded within "Net gain/(loss) on financial assets at fair value through profit or loss" in the statement of comprehensive income.

The following sources have been used to obtain the fair value for the financial assets and liabilities of the Company:

Level 1. Where quoted prices in an active market are available for the financial assets and liabilities, these are used to determine fair value of the respective financial instrument.

Level 2. Where the market for a financial instrument is not an active market, the fair value on subsequent measurement is obtained through broker price quotations or through the use of pricing services. Regarding the broker price quotation valuation technique, the fair value is derived through an average of at least two or more broker quotes with outliers (if any) removed prior to calculation, and also including in this average calculation binding offer and actual trade prices (if any). This valuation technique uses observable inputs that require no significant adjustment based on unobservable inputs, therefore resulting in Level 2 classification; and

Level 3. This category includes all instruments for which the broker price quotation valuation technique (as described above) includes inputs not based on observable data and the unobservable inputs have a significant effect on the instrument's valuation.

All other financial instruments not at fair value are measured on an amortised cost basis.

(iv) Offsetting financial instruments

Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amount reported in the statement of financial position where there is a legally enforceable right to offset the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis, or realise the assets and settle the liability simultaneously. For the financial year ended 31 December 2016, there were no financial assets or liabilities subject to enforceable, master netting arrangements or similar agreements which would require disclosure.

(v) Derecognition

The Company derecognises a financial asset when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the financial asset expire or it transfers the financial asset and the transfer qualifies for derecognition in accordance with IAS 39. The Company derecognises a financial liability when the obligation specified in the contract is discharged, cancelled or expires.

2J FOREIGN CURRENCY

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at the foreign currency exchange rate to the functional currency at the rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated to US Dollar at the foreign currency closing exchange rate ruling at the reporting date. Foreign currency exchange differences relating to investments at fair value through profit or loss are included in "Net gain/(loss) on financial assets at fair value through profit or loss" and "Net loss on foreign exchange" in the statement of comprehensive income respectively. All other foreign currency exchange differences relating to monetary items, including cash, are presented in "Net loss on foreign exchange" in the statement of comprehensive income.

   2   SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued) 

2K TAXATION

Income tax expense is recognised through profit or loss in the statement of comprehensive income except to the extent that it relates to items recognised directly in equity or in other comprehensive income.

Current tax is the expected tax payable or receivable on the taxable income or loss for the financial year, using tax rates enacted or substantially enacted at the reporting date, and any adjustment to tax payable in respect of previous periods.

Under current law and Irish practice, the Company qualifies as an investment undertaking under Section 739B of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 and is not therefore chargeable to Irish tax on its relevant income or relevant gains. See note 15 for further details.

2L DISTRIBUTIONS

Distributions to the holders of participating shares are recorded through the statement of changes in equity when they are declared to shareholders.

2M OPERATING SEGMENTS

An operating segment is a component of the Company that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses, whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the Company's chief operating decision makers and for which discrete financial information is available. The chief operating decision-makers for the Company are the Investment Manager and the Directors. In considering the segments of the Company, the Company has considered the information reviewed by the Company's Chief Operating Decision-

Makers and determined that there is only one operating segment in existence.

2N SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING JUDGEMENTS AND ESTIMATES

The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting policies and the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

Estimates and underlying assumptions are required on an ongoing basis. Revisions to estimates are recognised prospectively.

Fair value

In accordance with IFRS 13, the Company applies the definition of fair value, being the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date in the principal or, in its absence, the most advantageous market to which the Company has access at that date. The fair value of a liability reflects its non-performance risk.

 
 
 

When the fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities recorded in the statement of financial position cannot be derived from active market quotations, they are determined using valuation techniques including the use of broker prices.

See note 3 for further details of the fair value hierarchy levels at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015.

Application of IFRS 10, its related IE Amendment and IFRS 12

The Directors are satisfied that the Company meets the definition of an investment entity, and has also concluded that its investments in Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A, Neuberger Berman CLO XVII Ltd 2014-17X, Pinnacle Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A and Sheridan Square CLO Ltd meet the definition of a subsidiary in accordance with IFRS 10, with the remaining CLOs in which the Company invests meeting the definition of structured entities in accordance with IFRS 12. These conclusions are further detailed in note 8 Interest in Other Entities.

2O NEW STANDARDS AND INTERPRETATIONS APPLICABLE TO FUTURE REPORTING PERIODS

New standards, amendments and interpretations issued but not effective in 2016 and not early adopted.

The Company has considered all the upcoming International Accounting Standards Board's ("IASB's") standards including those not yet endorsed by the EU. The below standards are those deemed to have relevance to the Company and will be adopted from their EU effective dates.

IFRS 9 "Financial instruments", effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018 with early adoption permitted, specifies how an entity should classify and measure financial assets and liabilities, including some hybrid contracts. The standard improves and simplifies the approach for classification and measurement of financial assets compared with the requirements of IAS 39. Most of the requirements in IAS 39 for classification and measurement of financial liabilities were carried forward unchanged.

   2   SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued) 

2O NEW STANDARDS AND INTERPRETATIONS APPLICABLE TO FUTURE REPORTING PERIODS (continued)

New standards, amendments and interpretations issued but not effective in 2016 and not early adopted.(continued)

The standard applies a consistent approach to classifying financial assets and replaces the numerous categories of financial assets in IAS 39, each of which had its own classification criteria. The standard is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial position or performance, as it is expected that the Company will continue to classify the majority or almost all of its financial assets as being at fair value through profit or loss.

IFRS 15 "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" was issued in May 2014 and will become effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018. The new standard is not expected to have any significant impact on the Company's financial position, performance or disclosures in its financial statements.

   3   FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS 

As described in the accounting policies note, the Company has financial assets designated at fair value through profit or loss. The financial instruments recognised at fair value are analysed between those whose fair value is based on:

   --    Level 1: quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. 

-- Level 2: inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (as prices) or indirectly (derived from prices). This category includes instruments valued using: quoted market prices in active markets for similar instruments; quoted market prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are considered less than active; or other valuation techniques in which all significant inputs are directly or indirectly observable from market data.

-- Level 3: inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs).

The table below analyses financial instruments measured at fair value at the reporting date by the level in the fair value hierarchy into which the fair value measurement is categorised. The amounts are based on the values recognised in the statement of financial position. All fair value measurements below are recurring.

 
                   As at          As at 
             31 December    31 December 
                    2016           2015 
                     US$            US$ 
---------  -------------  ------------- 
 Level 1               -              - 
 Level 2     341,359,581    135,326,564 
 Level 3      64,434,254    244,336,199 
---------  -------------  ------------- 
             405,793,835    379,662,763 
---------  -------------  ------------- 
 

The Company determines the fair value for the collateralised loan obligations using independent, unadjusted indicative broker quotes. A broker quote is not generally a binding offer. The categorisation of the collateralised loan obligations is dependent if the broker quotes reflect actual current market transactions, or if they are indicative prices based on the broker's valuation models, depending on the significance and observability of the inputs to the model.

The Investment Manager can challenge the marks that come from the independent brokers if they appear off-market or unrepresentative but has no discretion to disregard a mark if a broker dealer does not adjust it after a challenge.

For collateralised loan obligations that have been categorised as Level 2, fair value has been determined using independent broker quotes based on observable inputs. If it could not be verified that the valuation is based significantly on observable inputs, then the investments would fall into Level 3.

The Company considers observable data to be that market data that is readily available, regularly distributed or updated, reliable, not proprietary, and provided by independent sources that are actively involved in the relevant market.

For each class of assets and liabilities not measured at fair value in the statement of financial position but for which fair value is disclosed, the Company is required to disclose the level within the fair value hierarchy which the fair value measurement would be categorised and a description of the valuation technique and inputs used in the technique.

   3   FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS (continued) 

For the financial years ended 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, cash and cash equivalents, other receivables, expenses payable and payable for investments purchased whose carrying amounts approximate to fair value, were classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy.

Transfers between Level 1, 2 and 3

There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 during the financial year (2015: no transfers). Where transfers between levels arise, they are deemed to occur at the end of the reporting period.

At 31 December 2016, collateralised loan obligations with a fair value of US$64,434,254 were classified as Level 3. The reduction in the Level 3 assets reflects the lower dispersion in the indicative broker quotes, given the improvement in the market liquidity during the financial year. At 31 December 2015, certain collateralised loan obligations with a fair value of US$244,336,199 were transferred from Level 2 to Level 3. The change in the classification level was a result of decreased liquidity in the market and wider spreads reflected by a broader spectrum of indicative broker quotes, which were factors that indicated that the broker quotes were not based on observable prices.

For Level 3 instruments, the factors taken into consideration include the spread differential within the different broker quotes received as well as other market information, such as trades, portfolio composition and other market considerations.

The following table shows a reconciliation from the opening balances to the closing balances for fair value measurements in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy as at 31 December 2016:

 
                                                  Collateralised 
                                                Loan Obligations 
                                                             US$ 
--------------------------------------------  ------------------ 
 Balance at 1 January 2016                           244,336,199 
 Net gain on financial assets at fair value 
  through profit or loss                               2,640,450 
 Purchases                                             5,444,864 
 Disposal and paydowns of investments               (73,964,227) 
 Transfers into Level 3                               10,224,358 
 Transfers out of Level 3                          (124,247,390) 
 Balance at 31 December 2016                          64,434,254 
--------------------------------------------  ------------------ 
 

Change in unrealised gains or losses (net gain) for the financial year included in profit or loss for the collateralised loan obligations within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy amounted to US$5,509,157. These gains and losses are included in the net gain/(loss) on financial assets at fair value through profit or loss of the statement of comprehensive income.

The following table shows a reconciliation from the opening balances to the closing balances for fair value measurements in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy as at 31 December 2015:

 
                                   Collateralised 
                                 Loan Obligations 
                                              US$ 
-----------------------------  ------------------ 
 Balance at 1 January 2015                      - 
 Transfers into Level 3               244,336,199 
 Balance at 31 December 2015          244,336,199 
-----------------------------  ------------------ 
 

The table below sets out information about significant unobservable inputs used at 31 December 2016 in measuring financial instruments categorised as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.

 
                                                                        Sensitivity 
                                                                      to changes in 
              Fair                                                      significant 
 Asset        Value     Unobservable                Weighted           unobservable 
  Class        US$         Inputs        Ranges      Average                 inputs 
--------  -----------  -------------  -----------  ---------  --------------------- 
                                                               1% increase/decrease 
                                                                          will have 
                                                                       a fair value 
 Income                    Broker         6.70% -                         impact of 
  Notes    64,434,254      Quotes          92.00%    64.98%          +/- US$644,343 
           64,434,254 
--------  -----------  -------------  -----------  ---------  --------------------- 
 
 
   3   FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS (continued) 

The table below sets out information about significant unobservable inputs used at 31 December 2015 in measuring financial instruments categorised as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.

 
                                                                                  Sensitivity 
                                                                                to changes in 
                                                                                  significant 
 Asset            Fair Value       Unobservable               Weighted           unobservable 
  Class               US$             Inputs       Ranges      Average                 inputs 
-----------  -------------------  -------------  ----------  ---------  --------------------- 
                                                                         1% increase/decrease 
                                                                                    will have 
                                                                                 a fair value 
 Mezzanine                            Broker      52.33%                            impact of 
  Notes        47,008,180             Quotes       - 87.38%    73.11%          +/- US$463,374 
                                                                         1% increase/decrease 
                                                                                    will have 
                                                                                 a fair value 
 Income                               Broker      28.10%                            impact of 
  Notes              197,328,019      Quotes       - 94.00%    57.93%        +/- US$1,973,280 
              244,336,199 
-----------  -------------------  -------------  ----------  ---------  --------------------- 
 
 

The above analysis also gives an approximation of the sensitivity of the different asset classes to market risk as at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 that seems reasonable considering the current market environment and the nature of the Company's assets' main underlying risks. This sensitivity analysis presents an approximation of the potential effects of events that could have been reasonably expected to occur as at the reporting date.

   4   OPERATING EXPENSES 

INVESTMENT MANAGER

The Investment Manager is entitled to receive a base management fee from the Company of 1.5% per annum of the NAV of the Company, calculated and payable monthly in arrears. The base management fee will be reduced to take into account any fees received by the Investment Manager or any of its associates or affiliates as a result of managing any collective investment scheme that the Company invests in or as a result of managing any CLO or collective investment scheme that the Company invests in, if such investment is or has been made in the primary market (i.e. the market in which investors have the first opportunity to buy a newly issued security). Please see note 9 for details of deals managed by the Investment Manager or its affiliates and whether they were sourced in the primary or secondary market. The Investment Manager fees for the year ended 31 December 2016 amounted to US$5,107,521 (31 December 2015: US$6,342,328).

The Investment Manager is entitled to a performance fee in respect of the US Dollar shares equivalent to 13% of the amount by which the value of the financial year end NAV per US Dollar share plus dividends per US Dollar share paid in the period exceeds the value of the NAV per US Dollar share, as increased by the performance fee hurdle rate (as defined below) plus 2%, as at the end of the most recent previous completed accounting reference period or, if greater, the NAV per US Dollar share as at the end of the previous completed accounting reference period in respect of which a performance fee was paid.

The performance fee hurdle rate is the greater of 12 month US Dollar LIBOR or 4%.

If a US Dollar share performance fee was not paid in respect of the previous accounting reference period, US Dollar Libor shall be the annualised annually compounded US Dollar London Inter-Bank Offered Rate for 12-month deposits in respect of all previous relevant accounting periods since such US Dollar share performance fee was last paid.

The performance fee is accrued on a monthly basis and is paid annually within 14 days of receipt of the calculation by the Company from State Street Fund Services (Ireland) Limited (the "Administrator").

The calculation of the performance fee is verified by State Street Custodial Services (Ireland) Limited (the "Custodian"). There were no performance fees paid for the year ended 31 December 2016 (31 December 2015: US$Nil)

The Company also reimburses the Investment Manager for all out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred in the performance of its duties.

ADMINISTRATOR AND CUSTODIAN

The Administrator and Custodian shall be entitled to receive aggregate fees of up to 0.10% per annum of the NAV of the Company for the provision, respectively, of administration, accounting, trustee and custodial services to the Company, subject to a minimum monthly fee of US$10,000. The overall charge for the above-mentioned fees for the Company for the financial years ended 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 and the amounts due at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 are disclosed below for information purposes.

   4   OPERATING EXPENSES (continued) 

DIRECTORS' FEES AND OTHER EXPENSES

The Company's Directors are entitled to a fee in remuneration for their services as Directors at a rate to be determined from time to time by the remuneration committee of the Company and disclosed in the financial statements.

Operating expenses are disclosed separately in the Statement of Comprehensive Income.

Accruals excluding audit, Directors and other professional fee accruals as at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 are detailed in the table below.

 
                                      As at          As at 
                                31 December    31 December 
                                       2016           2015 
 ACCRUAL                                US$            US$ 
----------------------------  -------------  ------------- 
 Investment management fees       1,354,568        936,299 
 Custodian fees                       5,165         11,871 
 Administration fees                 24,535         54,121 
 Commitment fees                     22,750         22,750 
 Interest payable                     3,278         18,171 
 Other operating expenses           347,966        585,068 
----------------------------  -------------  ------------- 
                                  1,758,262      1,628,280 
----------------------------  -------------  ------------- 
 

The remaining balance of the expense accrual consists of auditors' fees of US$188,336 (31 December 2015: US$171,456) inclusive of VAT, Directors' fees and other professional fees of US$146,352 (31 December 2015: US$68,655).

During the financial year ended 31 December 2016, Directors' fees amounted to US$324,040 (31 December 2015: US$309,431) plus out of pocket expenses of US$20,209 (31 December 2015: US$20,209), of which US$Nil (31 December 2015: US$Nil) remained payable at the financial year end.

AUDITORS FEES

The Company incurred the following audit, assurance and tax fees (including expenses) during the financial year of which US$139,045 (31 December 2015: US$139,395) was outstanding at the financial year end.

 
                                     Financial      Financial 
                                    year ended     year ended 
                                   31 December    31 December 
                                        2016**         2015** 
                                           US$            US$ 
-------------------------------  -------------  ------------- 
 Audit of financial statements         139,045        139,395 
 Other assurance services*              23,174         23,233 
 Tax advisory services***               33,170         33,170 
                                       195,389        195,798 
-------------------------------  -------------  ------------- 
 

* The above amounts were paid to the statutory auditor for work undertaken by them in relation to the review of the interim financial statements.

** The above amounts incurred for the financial years ended 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 are before the inclusion of VAT.

*** Tax advisory fees are included in other operating expenses in the Statement of Comprehensive Income.

5 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Cash and cash equivalents balances are held with State Street Bank and Trust Company and also consist of an investment in Blackrock Money Market Fund which is a short-term, highly liquid investment amounting to US$16,024,377.

   6   PARTICIPATING SHARES 

US DOLLAR SHARES

The authorised share capital of the Company shall not be less than the currency equivalent of EUR2 represented by two subscriber shares and the maximum issued share capital shall not be more than the currency equivalent of EUR500 billion divided into an unspecified number of non-redeemable shares. As at 31 December 2016, the issued share capital consisted of 543,253,359 US Dollar shares (31 December 2015: 543,253,359) and the subscriber shares referred to below.

Voting rights

The Company has issued two subscriber shares of EUR1 each. These shares do not participate in the profits of the Company. Holders of US Dollar shares participate in the profits of the Company and have voting rights with shareholders having one vote in respect of each whole share held.

   6   PARTICIPATING SHARES (continued) 

ISSUED PARTICIPATING SHARE

The share capital consisted of 543,253,359 shares as at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015. There were no shares issued and no shares converted during the financial year ended 31 December 2016 or 31 December 2015.

CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

The Company is closed-ended. At the EGM on 26 June 2013, a resolution was passed which provides that at the annual general meeting to be held in the financial year 2022 and in every tenth financial year thereafter, the Directors will propose a special resolution to the effect that the Company continue for a further ten financial years. If the continuation vote is not passed, the Directors are required to formulate proposals to be put to shareholders to wind-up, reorganize or reconstruct the Company.

The Company's objectives for managing capital are:

-- to invest the capital in investments meeting the description, risk exposure and expected return indicated in

its   Prospectus; 

-- to achieve consistent returns while safeguarding capital by investing in CLOs backed by corporate loans or holding cash;

-- to maintain sufficient liquidity to meet the expenses of the Company and to meet distribution commitments; and

-- to maintain sufficient size to make the operation of the Company cost-efficient.

The Directors will distribute all or part of the Company's net income (after reasonable expenses and retaining an element of cash flow receipts on Income Notes of CLOs) received from the underlying investments as quarterly dividends in January, April, July and October each financial year. The Directors aim to make consistent, quarterly dividend payments, and may use any retained net income to assist in implementing this policy.

Further to the EGM on 26 June 2013 and in accordance with the current provisions of the Articles of Association the Company shareholders may, at the Directors' discretion, be offered a redemption opportunity in 2017 for up to 100 per cent of the shares in issue if the shares have traded at an average discount to net asset value in excess of 5% over the 12 month period prior to 30 April 2017 ("discount trigger realisation mechanism"). In the event that the discount trigger realisation mechanism is not activated, the Directors may at their discretion propose an ordinary resolution to shareholders at the AGM in 2017 to approve a redemption opportunity for up to 100 per cent of the shares in issue.

The Articles provide that, after 2017, the Directors will, every five years, consider at their discretion whether or not to offer redemption opportunities to shareholders on the same basis.

The Directors have determined that they would like to consider whether or not to offer Shareholders potential redemption opportunities on a more frequent basis. Accordingly, whilst the discount trigger realisation mechanism described above will occur every five years, the Directors intend to consider every two and a half years whether to put an ordinary resolution to shareholders to approve a redemption opportunity for up to 100 per cent of the shares in issue, subject to any necessary changes to the Articles being approved. Any such redemption opportunities would be made available at the Directors' discretion and would be implemented through the creation of a Repurchase Pool in the same manner described below.

7 SOFT COMMISSIONS

There are no agreements for the provision of any services by means of soft commission.

8 INTERESTS IN OTHER ENTITIES

INTERESTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED STRUCTURED ENTITIES

IFRS 12 defines a structured entity as an entity that has been designed so that voting or similar rights are not the dominant factor in deciding who controls the entity, such as when any voting rights relate to the administrative tasks only and the relevant activities are directed by means of contractual agreements.

A structured entity often has some of the following features or attributes:

(a) restricted activities;

(b) a narrow and well defined objective;

(c) insufficient equity to permit the structured entity to finance its activities without subordinated financial support; and

(d) financing in the form of multiple contractually linked instruments that create concentrations of credit or other risks.

Involvement with unconsolidated structured entities

The Company has concluded that CLOs in which it invests, that are not subsidiaries for financial reporting purposes, meet the definition of structured entities because:

-- the voting rights in the CLOs are not the dominant rights in deciding who controls them, as they relate to administrative tasks only;

-- each CLO's activities are restricted by its Prospectus; and

-- the CLOs have narrow and well-defined objectives to provide investment opportunities to investors.

Subsidiary undertakings

At 31 December 2016, the Company had four (31 December 2015: four) subsidiary undertakings for financial reporting purposes that are also structured entities. They are Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A, Neuberger Berman CLO XVII Ltd 2014-17X, Pinnacle Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A and Sheridan Square CLO Ltd (31 December 2015: Voya Investment Management CLO II Ltd, Sheridan Square CLO Ltd, Babson CLO Ltd 2013-IX and Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A). The investment in Babson CLO Ltd 2013-IX was sold during the financial year. Voya Investment Management CLO II was also redeemed during the year. The number of shareholdings in Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2014-17X and Pinnacle Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A did not change during the financial year but the non call period on both of these investments expired, resulting in the Company achieving power, as described below, over these investments. To meet the definition of a subsidiary under the single control model of IFRS 10, the investor has to control the investee within the meaning of IFRS10.

Control involves power, exposure to variability of returns and a linkage between the two:

(i) The investor has existing rights that give it the ability to direct the relevant activities that significantly affect the investee's returns;

(ii) The investor has exposure or rights to variable returns from its involvement with the investee; and

(iii) The investor has the ability to use its power over the investee to affect the amount of the investor's returns.

In the case of the subsidiary undertakings listed above (the "entities"), the relevant activities of each are the investment decisions which are made by their asset managers. Power over the entities' relevant activities is attributed to the Company through a call option it has, as the holder of the majority of the preference shares of each of these entities. The impact of these call options is that it gives the Company the ability to direct or stop the early termination of each of the subsidiary deals, and hence, decision making power on the life of the deals, and therefore the ability to control the variability of returns.

The Company is also considered to have contingent power over the four entities, due to the fact that it may remove any of the subsidiaries' asset managers in certain contingent circumstances as the Company is the majority holder of the preference shares. It can therefore be considered that the Company has contingent power which may impact the variability of returns in the future.

To determine control, there has to be a linkage between power and the exposure to the variable returns. The main linkage arises from the call options which allow the Company to control the continual payments of returns, and it is therefore an indication of linkage between power and variability in returns.

8 INTERESTS IN OTHER ENTITIES (continued)

INTERESTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED STRUCTURED ENTITIES (continued)

Subsidiary undertakings (continued)

The other investments of the Company are not considered to be subsidiaries due to the lack of control held by the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company is subject to an investment restriction as set out in the Directors' report in the section entitled "Investment Restrictions" which states that the Company will not take legal or management control of the issuers of the underlying investments, nor shall the Company acquire any shares carrying voting rights which would enable it to exercise significant influence over the management of an issuing body. The "control" referred to above for financial reporting purposes does not equate to "legal or management control" or the acquisition of shares which would enable the Company to exercise "significant influence over the management of an issuing body" within the meaning of the investment restriction.

Investment entity status

To continue to avail of the exemption in IFRS 10 from the requirement to prepare consolidated financial statements, the Company must meet the definition of an investment entity. The Company is satisfied that it meets both the required criteria and typical characteristics of an investment entity.

   8   INTERESTS IN OTHER ENTITIES (continued) 

INTERESTS IN STRUCTURED ENTITIES

Below is a summary of the Company's holdings in non subsidiary unconsolidated structured entities as at 31 December 2016:

 
                                                                                                          % of 
                                                                                                         Total 
                                                                                                     Financial 
                                                                      Range    Average   Carador's      Assets    Maximum 
                                                                     of the                                 at 
                                                                       size   Notional     Holding        Fair   exposure 
                                                                     of SEs         Of                   Value 
               Line item in statement                      No of   Notional        SEs        Fair     through         to 
                of                                                                           Value                 losses 
 Structured    financial                   Nature    Investments    in US$m    in US$m          in      Profit         in       Other 
 Entity         position                                                                      US$m     or Loss       US$m 
 ("SE") 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Mezzanine 
  Note CLOs 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 North 
 America 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
                            Broadly Syndicated 
                             sub- 
               Financial    Investment 
               assets at     Grade Secured 
               fair value    Loans 
  through 
   profit                                                                                                                         Non 
   or loss     - USD                                          15    400-620        497          86      21.18%         86   recourse* 
 -----------  ------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
               Financial assets at fair 
                value 
 Total 
  Mezzanine    through profit                                                                                                     Non 
  Note CLOs     or loss                                       15    400-620        497          86      21.18%         86   recourse* 
------------  ------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Income Note 
  CLOs 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 North 
 America 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
                            Broadly Syndicated 
                             sub- 
               Financial    Investment 
               assets at     Grade Secured 
               fair value    Loans 
  through 
   profit                                                                                                                         Non 
   or loss     - USD                                          41     33-734        468         235      57.88%        235   recourse* 
 -----------  ------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
               Financial assets at fair 
                value 
 Total 
  Income       through profit                                                                                                     Non 
  Note CLOs     or loss                                       41     33-734        468         235      57.88%        235   recourse* 
------------  ------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Total                                                        56                             321** 
--------------------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 

The Company has a percentage range of 0.03% - 45.46% notional holding out of the entire outstanding notional balances of the structured entities as at 31 December 2016.

During the financial year ended 31 December 2016, the Company did not provide financial support to the unconsolidated structured entities and has no intention of providing financial or other support.

* The investments are non-recourse securities with no contingent liabilities, where the Company's maximum loss is capped at the current carrying value.

** The Company's total fair value holding of its unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries set out on the next page, plus the total fair value holding in non-subsidiary unconsolidated structured entities, as above, agrees to the financial assets at fair value through profit or loss in the statement of financial position.

Interests in unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries as at 31 December 2016:

 
                                                                                               % of 
                                                                                              Total 
                                                                                          Financial 
                                                           Range    Average   Carador's      Assets    Maximum 
                                                          of the                                 at 
                                                            size   Notional     Holding        Fair   exposure 
                                                          of SEs         of                   Value 
               Line item                        No of   Notional        SEs        Fair     through         to 
               in                                                                 Value                 losses 
               statement 
               of 
 Structured    financial    Nature        Investments    in US$m    in US$m          in      Profit         in       Other 
 Entity         position                                                           US$m     or Loss       US$m 
 ("SE") 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Mezzanine 
  Note CLOs 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 North 
 America 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
                            Broadly 
                            Syndicated 
                            sub- 
               Financial    Investment 
               assets at    Grade 
               fair value   Secured 
                            Loans 
  through 
   profit                                                                                                              Non 
   or loss     - USD                                2    413-725        569          17       4.19%         17   recourse* 
 -----------  -------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
               Financial 
               assets at 
               fair value 
 Total 
  Mezzanine    through profit                                                                                          Non 
  Note CLOs     or loss                             2    413-725        569          17       4.19%         17   recourse* 
------------  -------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Income Note 
  CLOs 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 North 
 America 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
                            Broadly 
                            Syndicated 
                            sub- 
               Financial    Investment 
               assets at    Grade 
               fair value   Secured 
                            Loans 
  through 
   profit                                                                                                              Non 
   or loss     - USD                                5    413-725        556          68      16.75%         68   recourse* 
 -----------  -------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
               Financial 
               assets at 
               fair value 
 Total 
  Income       through profit                                                                                          Non 
  Note CLOs     or loss                             5    413-725        556          68      16.75%         68   recourse* 
------------  -------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Total                                           7***                              85** 
---------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 

The Company has a percentage range of 0.30% - 5.65% notional holding out of the entire outstanding notional balance of its subsidiaries as at 31 December 2016.

During the financial year ended 31 December 2016, the Company made 1 sale of investments in the subsidiary holdings: Babson CLO Ltd 2013-IX amounting to US$11,760,000 (31 December 2015: US$Nil). Voya Investment Management CLO II was also redeemed during the year receiving proceeds of US$15,124,149. As already explained above under the heading "Subsidiary undertakings", the number of subsidiaries held is 4 (31 December 2015: 4).

For the financial year ended 31 December 2016, the Company did not provide financial support to its unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries and has no intention of providing financial or other support.

* The investments are non-recourse securities with no contingent liabilities, where the Company's maximum loss is capped at the current carrying value.

** The Company's total fair value holding of its unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries (above), plus the total fair value holding in non-subsidiary unconsolidated structured entities, as set out on page 47, agrees to the financial assets at fair value through profit or loss in the statement of financial position.

***This refers to the number of investments on a tranche level that the Company has on its 4 unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries.

Below is a summary of the Company's holdings in non subsidiary unconsolidated structured entities as at 31 December 2015:

 
                                                                                                          % of 
                                                                                                         Total 
                                                                                                     Financial 
                                                                      Range    Average   Carador's      Assets    Maximum 
                                                                     of the                                 at 
                                                                       size   Notional     Holding        Fair   exposure 
                                                                     of SEs         Of                   Value 
               Line item in statement                      No of   Notional        SEs        Fair     through         to 
                of                                                                           Value                 losses 
 Structured    financial                   Nature    Investments    in US$m    in US$m          in      Profit         in       Other 
 Entity         position                                                                      US$m     or Loss       US$m 
 ("SE") 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Mezzanine 
  Note CLOs 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 North 
 America 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
                            Broadly Syndicated 
                             sub- 
               Financial    Investment 
               assets at     Grade Secured 
               fair value    Loans 
  through 
   profit                                                                                                  30.                    Non 
   or loss     - USD                                          23    107-879        456         116         61%        116   recourse* 
 -----------  ------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
               Financial assets at fair 
                value 
 Total 
  Mezzanine    through profit                                                                                                     Non 
  Note CLOs     or loss                                       23    107-879        456         116      30.61%        116   recourse* 
------------  ------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Income Note 
  CLOs 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 North 
 America 
------------  -----------  -----------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
                            Broadly Syndicated 
                             sub- 
               Financial    Investment 
               assets at     Grade Secured 
               fair value    Loans 
  through 
   profit                                                                                                  48.                    Non 
   or loss     - USD                                          29     33-717        460         184         55%        184   recourse* 
 -----------  ------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
               Financial assets at fair 
                value 
 Total 
  Income       through profit                                                                                                     Non 
  Note CLOs     or loss                                       29     33-717        460         184      48.55%        184   recourse* 
------------  ------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Total                                                        52                             300** 
--------------------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 

The Company has a percentage range of 0.2% - 46% notional holding out of the entire outstanding notional balances of the structured entities as at 31 December 2015.

During the financial year ended 31 December 2015, the Company did not provide financial support to the unconsolidated structured entities and has no intention of providing financial or other support.

* The investments are non-recourse securities with no contingent liabilities, where the Company's maximum loss is capped at the current carrying value.

** The Company's total fair value holding of its unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries set out on the next page, plus the total fair value holding in non-subsidiary unconsolidated structured entities, as above, agrees to the financial assets at fair value through profit or loss in the statement of financial position.

Interests in unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries as at 31 December 2015:

 
                                                                                               % of 
                                                                                              Total 
                                                                                          Financial 
                                                           Range    Average   Carador's      Assets    Maximum 
                                                          of the                                 at 
                                                            size   Notional     Holding        Fair   exposure 
                                                          of SEs         of                   Value 
               Line item                        No of   Notional        SEs        Fair     through         to 
               in                                                                 Value                 losses 
               statement 
               of 
 Structured    financial    Nature        Investments    in US$m    in US$m          in      Profit         in       Other 
 Entity         position                                                           US$m     or Loss       US$m 
 ("SE") 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Mezzanine 
  Note CLOs 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 North 
 America 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
                            Broadly 
                            Syndicated 
                            sub- 
               Financial    Investment 
               assets at    Grade 
               fair value   Secured 
                            Loans 
  through 
   profit                                                                                                              Non 
   or loss     - USD                                2    413-725        569          16       4.22%         16   recourse* 
 -----------  -------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
               Financial 
               assets at 
               fair value 
 Total 
  Mezzanine    through profit                                                                                          Non 
  Note CLOs     or loss                             2    413-725        569          16       4.22%         16   recourse* 
------------  -------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Income Note 
  CLOs 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 North 
 America 
------------  -----------  ------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
                            Broadly 
                            Syndicated 
                            sub- 
               Financial    Investment 
               assets at    Grade 
               fair value   Secured 
                            Loans 
  through 
   profit                                                                                                              Non 
   or loss     - USD                                4    215-725        460          64      16.89%         64   recourse* 
 -----------  -------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
               Financial 
               assets at 
               fair value 
 Total 
  Income       through profit                                                                                          Non 
  Note CLOs     or loss                             4    215-725        460          64      16.89%         64   recourse* 
------------  -------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 Total                                           6***                              80** 
---------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ----------  ---------  ---------- 
 

The Company has a percentage range of 1.6% - 7.9% notional holding out of the entire outstanding notional balance of its subsidiaries as at 31 December 2015.

During the financial year ended 31 December 2015, the Company purchased Keuka Park CLO Limited 2013-1A at a cost of US$18,446,500 (31 December 2014: US$Nil). The Company made no sales of investments in the subsidiary holdings (31 December 2014: US$23,258,400). As already explained above under the heading "Subsidiary undertakings", the number of subsidiaries grew from 1 to 4 during the year due to the expiration of the relevant non call periods.

For the financial year ended 31 December 2015, the Company did not provide financial support to its unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries and has no intention of providing financial or other support.

* The investments are non-recourse securities with no contingent liabilities, where the Company's maximum loss is capped at the current carrying value.

** The Company's total fair value holding of its unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries (above), plus the total fair value holding in non-subsidiary unconsolidated structured entities, as set out on page 49, agrees to the financial assets at fair value through profit or loss in the statement of financial position.

*** This refers to the number of investments on a tranche level that the Company has on its 4 unconsolidated structured entity subsidiaries.

9 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS AND KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

TRANSACTIONS WITH ENTITIES WITH SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE

The following note summarises related parties and related party transactions during the financial year. GSO / Blackstone Debt Funds Management LLC acts as Investment Manager to the Company (the "Investment Manager"). Investment management fees earned by the Investment Manager amounted to US$5,107,521 (31 December 2015: US$6,342,328), of which US$1,354,568 (31 December 2015: US$936,299) was outstanding at the financial year end. No performance fees were earned by the Investment Manager during the financial year (31 December 2015: US$Nil), nor were there any performance fees outstanding at 31 December 2016 or 31 December 2015.

TRANSACTIONS WITH KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

The Directors of the Company and the Investment Manager are the key management personnel as they are the persons who have the authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the Company for the financial year ended 31 December 2016.

During the financial year ended 31 December 2016, the Company incurred Directors' fees for services as Directors and out-of-pocket expenses of US$344,249 (31 December 2015: US$329,640), of which US$Nil (31 December 2015: US$Nil) was outstanding at the financial year end.

No Director, nor the Company Secretary, had any beneficial interest in the shares of the Company during the financial year ended 31 December 2016 or 31 December 2015.

The following Directors' fees were incurred during the financial year and the amounts for each financial year are shown in both EUR and US Dollar equivalent:

 
                        Financial        Financial     Financial        Financial 
                       year ended       year ended    year ended       year ended 
                      31 December      31 December   31 December      31 December 
                             2016             2016          2015             2015 
                              EUR   US$ Equivalent           EUR   US$ Equivalent 
 Werner Schwanberg         64,200           70,847        61,100           69,472 
 Adrian Waters             57,060           62,967        50,960           57,943 
 Fergus Sheridan           57,060           62,967        52,060           59,194 
 Edward D'Alelio           58,260           64,292        55,960           63,628 
 Nicholas 
  Moss                     57,060           62,967        52,060           59,194 
-------------------  ------------  ---------------  ------------  --------------- 
                          293,640         324,040*       272,140         309,431* 
-------------------  ------------  ---------------  ------------  --------------- 
 

* The above amount excludes out-of-pocket expenses for the Directors of US$20,209 (31 December 2015: US$20,209).

TRANSACTIONS WITH OTHER RELATED PARTIES

At 31 December 2016, current employees and accounts managed or advised by the Investment Manager and its affiliates within the credit-focused business unit of the Blackstone Group L.P. hold 200,000 US Dollar shares (31 December 2015: 2,271,934 US Dollar shares) which represents approximately 0.04% (31 December 2015: 0.42%) of the issued shares of the Company.

The Company may invest in other entities and transactions that are managed directly or indirectly by the Investment Manager or any of its affiliates and as at 31 December 2016, 35.89% (31 December 2015: 33.32%) of the Company's underlying investments are managed in this way and these are listed below:

   9   RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS AND KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL (continued) 

CLO INVESTMENTS MANAGED BY GSO/BLACKSTONE AND AFFILIATES 2016

 
 Investment                    Investment Manager       Market 
----------------------------  ----------------------  ---------- 
 Adirondack Park CLO Ltd       GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  2013-1A E                     Funds Management LLC 
 Birchwood Park CLO Ltd        GSO / Blackstone Debt   Primary* 
  2014-1X INC                   Funds Management LLC 
 Bowman Park CLO Ltd 2014-1X   GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
                                Funds Management LLC 
 Burnham Park CLO Ltd          GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2014-1A                       Funds Management LLC 
 Callidus Debt Partners        GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  CLO Fund Ltd 5X INC           Funds Management LLC 
 Callidus Debt Partners        GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  CLO Fund Ltd 7A SUB           Funds Management LLC 
 Dorchester Park CLO Ltd       GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2015-1X SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A    GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  E                             Funds Management LLC 
 Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A    GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  SUB                           Funds Management LLC 
 Pinnacle Park CLO Ltd         GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  2014-1A SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 Sheridan Square CLO Ltd       GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2013-1A F                     Funds Management LLC 
 Sheridan Square CLO Ltd       GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  2013-1A INC                   Funds Management LLC 
 Seneca Park CLO Ltd 2014-1X   GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  SUB                           Funds Management LLC 
 Stewart Park CLO Ltd          GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2015-1X SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 Thacher Park CLO Ltd          GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  2014-1X SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 Taconic Park CLO Ltd          GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2016-1A SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 Tryon Park CLO Ltd 2013-1X    GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  E                             Funds Management LLC 
 Tryon Park CLO Ltd 2013-1X    GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  SUB                           Funds Management LLC 
 Treman Park CLO Ltd 2015-1A   GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
                                Funds Management LLC 
 Webster Park CLO Ltd          GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2015-1X SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 

CLO INVESTMENTS MANAGED BY GSO/BLACKSTONE AND AFFILIATES 2015

 
 Investment                    Investment Manager       Market 
----------------------------  ----------------------  ---------- 
 Adirondack Park CLO Ltd       GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  2013-1A E                     Funds Management LLC 
 Birchwood Park CLO Ltd        GSO / Blackstone Debt   Primary* 
  2014-1X INC                   Funds Management LLC 
 Callidus Debt Partners        GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  CLO Fund Ltd 5X INC           Funds Management LLC 
 Callidus Debt Partners        GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  CLO Fund Ltd 7A SUB           Funds Management LLC 
 Dorchester Park CLO Ltd       GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2015-1X SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 Gale Force CLO Ltd 2007-3A    GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  E                             Funds Management LLC 
 Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A    GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  E                             Funds Management LLC 
 Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A    GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  SUB                           Funds Management LLC 
 Pinnacle Park CLO Ltd         GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  2014-1A SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 Sheridan Square CLO Ltd       GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2013-1A F                     Funds Management LLC 
 Sheridan Square CLO Ltd       GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  2013-1A INC                   Funds Management LLC 
 Seneca Park CLO Ltd 2014-1X   GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  SUB                           Funds Management LLC 
 Stewart Park CLO Ltd          GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2015-1X SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 Thacher Park CLO Ltd          GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  2014-1X SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 Tryon Park CLO Ltd 2013-1X    GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  E                             Funds Management LLC 
 Tryon Park CLO Ltd 2013-1X    GSO / Blackstone Debt   Secondary 
  SUB                           Funds Management LLC 
 Webster Park CLO Ltd          GSO / Blackstone Debt    Primary 
  2015-1X SUB                   Funds Management LLC 
 

* Partial in primary.

9 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS AND KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL (continued)

TRANSACTION WITH SUBSIDIARIES

As at 31 December 2016, the Company had four subsidiaries for financial reporting purposes: Pinnacle Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A, Sheridan Square CLO Ltd, Neuberger Berman CLO XVII Ltd 2014-17X and Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A, all of which are special purpose vehicles incorporated in the Cayman Islands that are therefore related parties. The subsidiaries are unconsolidated subsidiaries and the Company's investment in these vehicles is detailed in note 2c and note 8, which include the different mezzanine and equity tranches held in the four of them.

The Company received US$22,922,175 in coupon payments from the subsidiaries for the financial year ended 31 December 2016 (31 December 2015: US$21,727,432). There were realised losses arising during the financial year amounting to US$8,263,500 (31 December 2015: US$Nil). The movement in unrealised losses on subsidiary holdings amounted to US$66,813,776 during the financial year (31 December 2015: US$27,872,228).

During the financial year ended 31 December 2016, the Company made 1 sale of investments in the subsidiary holdings: Babson CLO Ltd 2013-IX (31 December 2015: Nil). Voya Investment Management CLO II was also redeemed during the year. However, the number of subsidiaries held by the Company as at 31 December 2016 is 4 (31 December 2015: 4).

The value of the subsidiary holdings at 31 December 2016 was US$84,724,423 (31 December 2015: US$79,330,636).

10 RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Risk is inherent in the Company's activities but it is managed through a process of ongoing identification, measurement and monitoring, subject to risks limits and other controls. The process of risk management is critical to the Company's continuing profitability. The Company is exposed to market risk (which includes interest rate risk, currency risk and other price risk), liquidity and credit risk arising from the financial instruments it holds. Given the Company's permanent capital structure as a closed-ended fund, it is not exposed to redemption risk relating to its own shares in issue. The Articles provide that, after 2017, the Directors will, every five years, consider at their discretion whether or not to offer redemption opportunities to shareholders on the same basis. The Directors have determined that they would like to consider whether or not to offer Shareholders potential redemption opportunities on a more frequent basis. Accordingly, whilst the discount trigger realisation mechanism described above will occur every five years, the Directors intend to consider every two and a half years whether to put an ordinary resolution to shareholders to approve a redemption opportunity for up to 100 per cent of the shares in issue, subject to any necessary changes to the Articles being approved. Any such redemption opportunities would be made available at the Directors' discretion and would be implemented through the creation of a Repurchase Pool. Financial assets do include investments in collateralised loan obligations which are not traded in an organised public market and which may be illiquid.

The Investment Manager considers the risk and concentrations on a look-through basis level for the CLOs.

RISK MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

The Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for identifying and controlling risks but relies on its delegated service providers, (the Investment Manager, Custodian, Administrator and Registrar), to carry out ongoing management and monitoring of risks.

RISK MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING SYSTEM

The Company's risks are measured using a method which reflects both the expected loss likely to arise in normal circumstances and unexpected losses, which are an estimate of the ultimate actual loss based on models. The models make use of the probabilities derived from historical experience, adjusted to reflect the economic environment.

Monitoring and controlling risks is primarily performed based on limits established by the Board. These limits reflect the business strategy and market environment of the Company as well as the level of risk that the Company is willing to accept. In addition, the Company monitors and measures the overall risk-bearing capacity in relation to the aggregate risk exposure across risk types and activities.

10 RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (continued)

RISK MITIGATION

The Company has investment guidelines that set out its overall business strategies, its tolerance for risk and its general risk management philosophy and has established processes to monitor and control economic hedging transactions in a timely and accurate manner. The Company may use derivatives and other instruments only in connection with its risk management activities, but not for trading purposes.

EXCESSIVE RISK CONCENTRATION

Concentration arises when a number of counterparties are engaged in similar business activities, or activities in the same geographic region, or have similar economic features that would cause their ability to meet contractual obligations to be similarly affected by changes in economic, political or other conditions. Concentration indicates the relative sensitivity of the Company's performance to developments affecting a particular issuer, manager, asset class or geographical location.

In order to avoid excessive concentration of risk, the Company's policies and procedures include specific guidelines to focus on maintaining a diversified portfolio. Identified concentration of credit risks are controlled and managed accordingly.

The Company's investment guidelines specify, among others, that the Company must invest in a minimum of 20 separate investments with a maximum exposure per investment, at the time of investment, of 20% of the NAV of the Company. The Company also limits its exposure to transactions managed by the same portfolio manager to 15% of the NAV, at the time of investment. However, if the portfolio manager is the Investment Manager or an affiliate of the Investment Manager, this limit is increased to 60% of the NAV at the time of investment.

The concentration risk at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 is disclosed below in note 10 (A)(iii), 10 (B) and in the Investment Manager's Review on pages 4 to 8.

(A) MARKET RISK

Market risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market prices and includes interest rate risk, currency risk and other price risks. The Company may use derivative instruments to hedge the investment portfolio against currency risk.

The Company's investments are in collateralised loan obligations vehicles. The CLO vehicles typically have no significant assets other than the loans as collateral. Accordingly, payments on the CLO securities are payable solely from the cash flows from the collateral, net of all management fees and other expenses. Payments to the Company as a holder of Income Notes and/or Mezzanine Notes of CLO vehicles are met only after payments due on the Senior Notes (and, where appropriate, the mezzanine notes) have been made in full.

The following table shows the securities held by the Company which are most susceptible to market risk arising from uncertainties about interest rates, foreign currency fluctuation and future prices of the instruments.

 
                                          As at         As at 
                                    31 December   31 December 
                                           2016          2015 
                                            US$           US$ 
---------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 Collateralised loan obligations    321,069,412   300,332,127 
 Investment in subsidiaries          84,724,423    79,330,636 
---------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 TOTAL INVESTMENTS AT FAIR 
  VALUE                             405,793,835   379,662,763 
---------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 

(i) Interest rate risk

The Company is exposed to interest rate risk on collateralised loan obligations held by the Company and on a look-through basis to the underlying assets in the CLOs.

The majority of the Company's financial assets are Income Notes and Mezzanine tranches of cash flow CLOs. The Company's investments have exposure to interest rate risk but this is limited to floating LIBOR-based exposure for the CLO's assets.

The following table shows the portfolio profile at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015:

 
                                31 December   31 December 
                                       2016          2015 
-----------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 Investments with a floating 
  interest rate                        100%          100% 
                               ------------  ------------ 
   FINANCIAL ASSETS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH 
             PROFIT OR LOSS 100%                     100% 
-------------------------------------------  ------------ 
 

10 RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (continued)

(A) MARKET RISK (continued)

(i) Interest rate risk (continued)

The following table shows the Directors' best estimate of the sensitivity of the portfolio to stressed changes in interest rates, with all other variables held constant. The table assumes parallel shifts in the respective forward yield curves.

 
                           31 December 2016   31 December 
                                                     2015 
                       effect on net assets     effect on 
                                               net assets 
 Possible reasonable     and profit or loss    and profit 
                                                  or loss 
      change in rate                    US$           US$ 
--------------------  ---------------------  ------------ 
                  1%             12,068,226     9,462,616 
                 -1%             11,477,884    16,478,185 
--------------------  ---------------------  ------------ 
 

(ii) Currency risk

Investments acquired for the Company's portfolio are denominated in US Dollars. However, the Company may also invest in underlying assets which are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar (e.g., the Euro). Accordingly, the value of such investments may be affected, favourably or unfavourably predominately, by fluctuations in currency rates and which, if unhedged, could have the potential to have a significant effect on returns. To reduce the impact on the Company of currency fluctuations and the volatility of returns which may result from currency exposure, the Investment Manager may hedge the currency exposure of the assets of the Company with the use of derivative financial instruments.

The Company is exposed to very limited currency risk, as the vast majority of the Company's assets and liabilities are currently denominated in US Dollars. As a result, the Company did not have any foreign exchange forward contracts at the financial year ended 31 December 2016 (December 2015: US$Nil).

The total net exposure to foreign currencies at the reporting date was as follows:

 
                                 31 December   31 December 
                                        2016          2015 
 EXPOSURE TO FOREIGN EXCHANGE            US$           US$ 
  RATES 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 EUR Exposure 
 Cash and cash equivalents           117,413        77,527 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 EUR Exposure                        117,413        77,527 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 
 GBP Exposure 
 Cash and cash equivalents           156,066       186,157 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 GBP Exposure                        156,066       186,157 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 
 TOTAL EXPOSURE                      273,479       263,684 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 
 
          Possible        31 December 2016              31 December 2015 
            change                    effect on                      effect on 
                in                   net assets                     net assets 
          exchange   net exposure    and profit   net exposure      and profit 
              rate                      or loss                        or loss 
                              US$           US$            US$             US$ 
----------  ------  -------------  ------------  -------------  -------------- 
 Euro/US 
 Dollar      +/-5%        117,413   (+/-) 1,298         77,527       (+/-) 884 
 GBP/US 
 Dollar      +/-5%        156,066   (+/-) 2,025        186,157     (+/-) 2,881 
----------  ------  -------------  ------------  -------------  -------------- 
 
 

(iii) Other price risks

The risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market prices (other than those arising from interest rate risk or currency risk), whether those changes are caused by factors specific to the individual financial instrument or its issuer, or factors affecting all similar financial instruments traded in the market. The Directors do not believe that the returns on investments are correlated to any specific index or other price variable.

10 RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (continued)

(A) MARKET RISK (continued)

(iii) Other price risks (continued)

The table below analyses the Company's concentration of other price risk by subsector in the secured loan asset class and by geographical area.

 
                                         31 December   31 December 
                                                2016          2015 
 By asset class                                  US$           US$ 
 Broadly syndicated sub-investment 
  grade secured loans - North America    397,438,835   371,750,263 
 Broadly syndicated sub-investment 
  grade secured loans - Ireland            8,355,000     7,912,500 
--------------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
                                         405,793,835   379,662,763 
--------------------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 

If the value of investments was to increase or decrease by 1%, the impact on the NAV of the Company would be +/-US$4,057,938 (2015: +/- US$3,796,628).

(B) CREDIT RISK

Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will cause a financial loss for the other party by failing to discharge an obligation. It is the Company's policy to enter into financial instruments with a range of reputable counterparties. Therefore, the Company has a diversified portfolio to reduce credit risk.

The table below analyses the Company's maximum credit exposure to credit risk for the components of the statement of financial position.

 
                              31 December   31 December 
                                     2016          2015 
                                      US$           US$ 
---------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 Cash and cash equivalents     16,682,060    28,044,711 
 Other receivables              1,357,374        17,981 
 Financial assets at fair 
  value through profit or 
  loss                        405,793,835   379,662,763 
---------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
                              423,833,269   407,725,455 
---------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 

The cash and substantially all of the assets of the Company are held by the Custodian or one or more of its sub-custodians. Bankruptcy or insolvency of the Custodian or its sub-custodians may cause the Company's rights with respect to securities held by the Custodian or its sub-custodians to be delayed or limited. The Company or its sub-custodians monitor its risk by monitoring the credit quality and financial positions of the Custodian. State Street Corporation is the parent company of the Custodian, State Street Custodial Services (Ireland) Limited, and the long-term rating of State Street Corporation as at 31 December 2016 was A1 (Source: Moody's) (31 December 2015: A2).

Breakdown by country of incorporation at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015:

 
                   31 December   31 December 
                          2016          2015 
                           US$           US$ 
----------------  ------------  ------------ 
 Cayman Islands    397,438,835   371,750,263 
 Ireland             8,355,000     7,912,500 
----------------  ------------  ------------ 
                   405,793,835   379,662,763 
----------------  ------------  ------------ 
 

The table below summarises the Company's portfolio concentrations as of 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015:

 
                                Maximum              Average 
                     portfolio holdings   portfolio holdings 
                            of a single          of a single 
                                  asset                asset 
                             % of total           % of total 
                              portfolio            portfolio 
------------------  -------------------  ------------------- 
 31 December 2016                 4.53%                1.59% 
 31 December 2015                 6.14%                1.72% 
------------------  -------------------  ------------------- 
 

10 RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (continued)

(B) CREDIT RISK (continued)

The below table summarises the portfolio by asset class and ratings of the portfolio as of 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015:

 
                            31 December 2016        31 December 
                                                           2015 
 By asset class                          US$                US$ 
-------------------------  -----------------  ----------------- 
 CLO 1.0 Mezzanine Notes                   -         32,819,612 
 CLO 2.0 Mezzanine Notes         103,270,576         99,183,685 
 CLO 1.0 Income Notes              2,050,667         23,358,259 
 CLO 2.0 Income Notes            300,472,592        224,301,207 
-------------------------  -----------------  ----------------- 
                                 405,793,835        379,662,763 
-------------------------  -----------------  ----------------- 
 

For the purposes of the asset class breakdown above, the Mezzanine CLO investments were originally rated A/BBB/BB/B and Income Notes were non-rated ("NR"). CLO 1.0 notes refers to the old vintage CLOs (Vintage 2006 - 2007), while CLO 2.0 notes refer to the new vintage CLO investments post crisis (Vintage 2013 - 2015).

The Company's portfolio is partly invested in the income notes tranches of CLOs which are subject to potential non-payment and are by definition, non-rated securities. The Company assesses the quality of non-rated assets based on a fundamental analysis of the underlying loans in the respective portfolios. The terms and conditions of the underlying CLOs and the implications of other rights on the CLOs are reviewed to determine any impact on the expected cash flow from the underlying CLO.

With the exception of investments in Mezzanine CLO notes, the Company will typically be in a first loss or subordinated position with respect to realised losses on the collateral of each CLO investment. The leveraged nature of the Income Notes and the Mezzanine Notes, in particular, magnifies the adverse impact of collateral defaults.

The Company may be adversely impacted by an increase in its credit exposure related to investing and other activities. The Company is exposed to the potential for credit-related losses that can occur as a result of an individual, counterparty or issuer being unable or unwilling to honour its contractual obligations. These credit exposures exist within financing relationships, commitments and other transactions. These exposures may arise, for example, from a decline in the financial condition of a counterparty, from entering into swap or other derivative contracts under which counterparties have obligations to make payments to us, from a decrease in the value of securities of third parties that the Company holds as collateral, or from extending credit through guarantees or other arrangements. As the Company's credit exposure increases, it could have an adverse effect on the Company's business and profitability if material unexpected credit losses occur.

The Investment Manager assesses the credit risk of the CLOs on a look-through basis to the underlying loans in each CLO. The Investment Manager seeks to provide diversification in terms of underlying assets, issuer section, geography and maturity profile.

(C) LIQUIDITY RISK

Liquidity risk is defined as the risk that the Company may not be able to settle or meet its obligations on time or at a reasonable price.

The Company does not have any long-term or structural borrowings. The Company's unleveraged capital structure reflects the long-term investment strategy and matches the illiquidity of the underlying investments.

On 19 December 2013, as detailed in note 11, the Company entered into a revolving credit facility with State Street Bank and Trust Company. The facility will be available for general corporate purposes and will not be utilised to leverage the investment portfolio.

As at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, working capital liquidity risk was reduced by the availability of the credit facility referred to above. This credit facility is available if needed to meet liabilities (of an amount up to US$30 million) when they fall due. See note 11 for more details.

10 RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (continued)

(C) LIQUIDITY RISK (continued)

Given the Company's permanent capital structure as a closed-ended fund, it is not exposed to redemption risk during the life of the fund. However, at the EGM on 26 June 2013, a resolution was passed that at the annual general meeting to be held in the financial year 2022 (and in every tenth financial year thereafter), the Directors will propose a special resolution to the effect that the Company continue for a further ten financial years. If the continuation vote is not passed, the Directors are required to formulate proposals to be put to shareholders to wind-up, reorganise or reconstruct the Company. The shareholders also approved the introduction of a 5-yearly repurchase opportunity as follows: if shares have traded at an average discount to the Net Asset Value per share of the relevant class in excess of 5% over the preceding twelve month period, or such other date as may be set out in the Prospectus, an investor may be offered, subject to certain conditions that are set out in the Prospectus and the requirements of the Central Bank, to realise their shares through a repurchase pool.

In accordance with the current provisions of the Articles, the Company shareholders may, at the Directors' discretion, be offered a redemption opportunity in 2017 for up to 100 per cent of the shares in issue if the shares have traded at an average discount to net asset value in excess of 5% over the 12 month period prior to 30 April 2017 ("discount trigger realisation mechanism"). In the event that the discount trigger realisation mechanism is not activated, the Directors may at their discretion propose an ordinary resolution to shareholders at the AGM in 2017 to approve a redemption opportunity for up to 100% of the shares in issue.

The Articles provide that, after 2017, the Directors will, every five years, consider at their discretion whether or not to offer redemption opportunities to shareholders on the same basis.

The Directors have determined that they would like to consider whether or not to offer Shareholders potential redemption opportunities on a more frequent basis. Accordingly, whilst the discount trigger realisation mechanism described above will occur every five years, the Directors intend to consider every two and a half years whether to put an ordinary resolution to shareholders to approve a redemption opportunity for up to 100% of the shares in issue, subject to any necessary changes to the Articles being approved. Any such redemption opportunities would be made available at the Directors' discretion and would be implemented through the creation of a Repurchase Pool.

The Company's financial instruments include investments in collateralised debt obligations and derivative contracts (if any) traded over-the-counter which are not traded in an organised public market and which may be illiquid.

All liabilities of the Company are due within one financial year.

11 CREDIT FACILITY

On 19 December 2013, the Company agreed a bilateral senior secured committed 364 day short term revolving credit facility (the "Initial Facility") with State Street Bank and Trust which expired on 18 December 2014. On 19 November 2014, 17 December 2015 and 19 December 2016, the Company renewed this facility again resulting in a new expiry date of 14 December 2017 (the "Renewed Facility", and each together with the Initial Facility, the "Facility"). The Facility limit is determined as the lowest of: (a) US$30 million for the Renewed Facility, (b) 10% of the NAV, (c) 20% of the adjusted NAV, and (d) the maximum amount of financial indebtedness that the Borrower is permitted to incur as determined in accordance with: (i) its constitutional documents, (ii) any resolution of the members, (iii) its investment policy, and (iv) any law, rule or regulation applicable to the Borrower.

Adjusted NAV means, the NAV of the Borrower excluding (without double counting); (a) the amount by which the aggregate current market value of investments relating to a single issuer exceeds 10% of the NAV of the Borrower, (b) the aggregate market value of any investments in relation to which there is not at least two independent valuations (other than any primary investments which have been acquired within the preceding twelve months, and (c) the aggregate value of any Income Notes, each as determined by the Administrator following the publication of the NAV on a regulatory information service.

11 CREDIT FACILITY (continued)

The Facility is available for general corporate purposes and may be used to make new purchases, but is intended to leverage the investment portfolio. Borrowings under the Facility are restricted to a maximum period of 364 days. The Facility is governed by a conservative structure whereby the maximum Loan-to-Value ("LTV") is 10% of total NAV and maximum 20% of the adjusted NAV (unrated notes to be excluded). The NAV of the Company must at all times be at least US$250m. The Facility is secured by a first priority security interest in all of the Carador portfolio investments (including cash agreements).

The following fees applied to the Facility: An upfront fee of 10bps, a commitment fee of 30bps on the unused portion of the Facility and an interest rate of LIBOR plus 180bps.

There were no draw downs on the Facility during the financial year ended 31 December 2016.

The only amount to be paid in relation to the credit facility at 31 December 2016 were the commitment fee and the interest charge as disclosed below.

The Company made the following draw downs on the Facility during the financial year ended 31 December 2015:

 
 Start Date     End Date   Credit Drawn 
-----------  -----------  ------------- 
 15/01/2015   22/01/2015          US$8M 
 22/01/2015   28/01/2015          US$5M 
 30/01/2015   05/02/2015          US$4M 
 26/02/2015   04/03/2015        US$2.5M 
 05/03/2015   11/03/2015        US$4.5M 
 

During the financial year, the Company was charged a commitment fee of US$106,887 (31 December 2015: US$104,987) of which US$22,750 (31 December 2015: US$22,750) remained unpaid at 31 December 2016, and an interest charge of US$45,107 (31 December 2015: US$40,319) of which US$3,278 (31 December 2015: US$18,171) remained unpaid at 31 December 2016. These fees are included in facility costs in the statement of comprehensive income and expenses payable in the statement of financial position.

12 STOCK LING

The Company did not enter into any stock lending transactions during the financial year (31 December 2015: US$Nil).

13 EARNINGS/(LOSS) PER SHARE

The Earnings/(Loss) Per Share ("EPS") is calculated by dividing the profit/(loss) for the financial year attributable to the participating shareholders by the weighted average number of shares outstanding in the financial year.

 
                                              Financial       Financial 
                                             year ended      year ended 
                                            31 December     31 December 
                                                   2016            2015 
-----------------------------------------  ------------  -------------- 
                                              US Dollar       US Dollar 
                                                  Class           Class 
                                                    US$             US$ 
 Profit/(loss) for the financial 
  year all attributable to participating 
  equity shareholders                        79,153,810    (41,409,323) 
 Number of ordinary shares for 
  basic earnings/(loss) per share           543,253,359     543,253,359 
-----------------------------------------  ------------  -------------- 
 Basic earning/(loss) per share                    0.15          (0.08) 
-----------------------------------------  ------------  -------------- 
 

For the financial year ended 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, there are no potential ordinary shares in existence, hence no diluted EPS is shown.

14 SEGMENTAL REPORTING

As required by IFRS 8, Operating Segments, the information provided to the Board of Directors and Investment Manager, who are the Chief Operating Decision Makers, can be classified into one segment for the financial years ended 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015. The only share class in issue during the financial years ended 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 is the US Dollar Class.

For the financial years ended 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, the Company's primary exposure was to North America related assets (see note 10 (A)).

14 SEGMENTAL REPORTING (continued)

Major Customers

The Company regards the holders of redeemable shares as customers, because it relies on their funding for continuing operations and meeting its objectives. The Company's shareholding structure is not exposed to a significant shareholder concentration. A breakdown of shares held by employees of the investment manager can be found in note 9. The Company's largest holder of redeemable shares excluding shares held by employees of the investment manager as at 31 December 2016 is outlined on page 21.

15 TAXATION

Under current law and Irish practice, the Company qualifies as an investment undertaking under Section 739B of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 and is not therefore chargeable to Irish tax on its relevant income or relevant gains. No stamp duty, transfer or registration tax is payable in the Republic of Ireland on the issue, redemption or transfer of shares in the Company. Distributions and interest on securities issued in countries other than the Republic of Ireland may be subject to taxes including withholding taxes imposed by such countries. The Company may not be able to benefit from a reduction in the rate of withholding tax by virtue of the double taxation agreement in operation between the Republic of Ireland and other countries. The Company may not therefore be able to reclaim withholding tax suffered by it in particular countries.

To the extent that a chargeable event arises in respect of a shareholder, the Company may be required to deduct tax in connection with that chargeable event and pay the tax to the Irish Revenue Commissioners. A chargeable event can include payments to shareholders, appropriation, cancellation, redemption, repurchase or transfer of shares, or a deemed disposal of shares every eight years beginning from the date of acquisition of those shares. Certain exemptions can apply. In the absence of an appropriate declaration or written confirmation from the Revenue Commissioners which confirms that no such declaration is required, the Company will be liable for Irish tax on the occurrence of a chargeable event.

16 DISTRIBUTIONS

The Board declared the following distributions during the financial year:

On 22 January 2016, the Board declared a dividend of US$0.0250 per US Dollar share in respect of the period from 1 October 2015 to 31 December 2015. The dividend was paid on 10 February 2016 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 5 February 2016. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$13,581,333.

On 21 April 2016, the Board declared a dividend of $0.0225 per U.S. Dollar Share in respect of the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 March 2016. This dividend was paid on 4 May 2016 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 29 April 2016. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$12,223,201.

On 21 July 2016, the Board declared a dividend of US$0.0225 per US Dollar share in respect of the period from 1 April 2016 to 30 June 2016. The dividend was paid on 3 August 2016 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 29 July 2016. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$12,223,201.

On 20 October 2016, the Board declared a dividend of US$0.0225 per US Dollar share in respect of the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2016. The dividend was paid on 2 November 2016 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 28 October 2016. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$12,223,200.

17 OTHER EVENTS DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR

On 22 April 2016, the Company released its audited Annual Report and Accounts for the full financial year 2015.

At the annual general meeting the ("AGM") of the Company held on 22 June 2016, shareholders approved the following ordinary and special resolutions:

17 OTHER EVENTS DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR (continued)

Ordinary Resolutions

1. Receipt and consideration of the Directors' report and the financial statements of the Company for the financial year ended 31 December 2015 and the report of the auditors thereon;

2. Re-appointment of KPMG as auditors of the Company;

3. Authorisation of the Directors to fix the remuneration of the auditors of the Company;

4. Re-election of Edward D'Alelio as a Director of the Company;

5. Re-election of Werner Schwanberg as a Director of the Company;

6. Re-election of Fergus Sheridan as a Director of the Company;

7. Re-election of Adrian Waters as a Director of the Company;

8. Authorisation of the Board to allot and issue up to 54,325,334 shares (or, if lower, such number of shares as represent 10 per cent of the shares of the Company in issue at the date of the AGM), such authority to expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company unless previously renewed, varied or revoked by the Company in general meeting.

Special Resolutions

9. Authorisation of the Board to allot and issue up to 54,325,334 shares (or, if lower, such number of shares as represent 10 per cent of the shares in issue at the date of the AGM) without having previously to offer such shares to shareholders of the Company on a pre-emptive basis, such authority to expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company unless previously renewed, varied or revoked by the Company in general meeting.

10. Adoption of the new objects clauses presented at the annual general meeting as the objects clauses of the Company to the exclusion of all existing objects clauses and the adoption of the constitution of the Company presented at the annual general meeting to the exclusion of the existing memorandum and articles of association of the Company.

On 26 August 2016, the Company announced its unaudited interim results for the period ended 30 June 2016. The Company amended this announcement to incorporate minor changes on 30 August 2016.

On 30 November 2016, the Company announced that the Directors would like to consider whether or not to offer shareholders potential redemption opportunities on a more frequent basis than as set out in the articles of association of the Company (the "Articles"). The Articles provide for circumstances where the directors have a discretion to offer redemption opportunities to shareholders every five years, and the Directors intend to consider every two and a half years whether to put an ordinary resolution to shareholders to approve a redemption opportunity for up to 100 per cent of the shares in issue, subject to any necessary changes to the Articles being approved. Any such redemption opportunities would be made available at the Directors' discretion and would be implemented through the creation of a repurchase pool. In the run up to April 2017, the Directors will continue to monitor the Company's share price relative to its net asset value and any decision whether to provide shareholders with the 2017 redemption opportunity will be made at that time.

There were no other significant events during the financial year which are not disclosed elsewhere which would require revision of the figures or disclosures in the financial statements.

18 SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

On 19 January 2017, the Board declared a dividend of US$0.0275 per US Dollar share in respect of the financial period from 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016. The dividend was paid on 1 February 2017 to shareholders on the share register as at the close of business on 27 January 2017. The amount paid in respect of this dividend was US$14,939,467.

There were no other significant events since financial year end which would require revision of the figures or disclosures in the financial statements.

19 APPROVAL OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Directors on 26 April 2017.

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (unaudited)

As at 31 December 2016

 
                                                       Market 
                                         Nominal        value   % of 
                                        holdings       of US$    NAV 
-----------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ----- 
 COLLATERALISED LOAN OBLIGATIONS 
 REGION OF TRADE 
 North America 
 COUNTRY OF INCORPORATION 
 Cayman Islands (December 2015: 
  74.44%) 
 ACAS CLO 2013-1X F                    5,000,000    4,366,062   1.04 
 ACAS CLO 2013-2X E                    7,000,000    5,976,967   1.42 
 Adirondack Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A 
  E                                    5,500,000    5,202,169   1.23 
 Apidos CLO 2013-14A E                 4,000,000    3,667,000   0.87 
 Apidos CLO 2013-14A F                 5,000,000    4,238,854   1.01 
 Apidos CLO 2013-14X INC               6,060,000    3,625,900   0.86 
 Apidos CLO 2014-17X E                11,500,000    9,449,454   2.24 
 Apidos CLO 2014-18A                   3,000,000    1,837,950   0.44 
 Apidos CLO 2015-20A                  10,400,000    8,580,000   2.03 
 Apidos CLO 2015-20X D                 1,538,462    1,479,298   0.35 
 ARES CLO Ltd 2013-3X SUB             21,750,000   10,041,250   2.38 
 Birchwood Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A        8,000,000    5,000,000   1.19 
 Birchwood Park CLO Ltd 2014-1X 
  INC                                  1,000,000      625,000   0.15 
 BNPP IP CLO Ltd 2014-1X D            16,500,000   14,366,793   3.41 
 BNPP IP CLO Ltd 2014-1X E            14,000,000   11,205,908   2.66 
 Bowman Park CLO Ltd 2014-1X           2,500,000    1,731,750   0.41 
 Burnham Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A          3,000,000    2,812,500   0.67 
 Callidus Debt Partners CLO Fund 
  Ltd 5A INC                           4,700,000      114,367   0.03 
 Callidus Debt Partners CLO Fund 
  Ltd 5X INC                           7,000,000      170,333   0.04 
 Callidus Debt Partners CLO Fund 
  Ltd 7A SUB                          14,050,000      238,850   0.06 
 Callidus Debt Partners CLO Fund 
  Ltd 7X SUB                          11,050,000      187,850   0.04 
 Carlyle Global Market Strategies 
  CLO Ltd 2015-1A SUB                 10,000,000    7,116,667   1.69 
 Carlyle Global Market Strategies 
  CLO Ltd 2016-1A SUB                  3,000,000    2,662,500   0.63 
 Cedar Funding CLO Ltd 2014-3A 
  SUB                                  2,000,000    1,455,000   0.34 
 Cedar Funding CLO Ltd 2016-5A 
  SUB                                 14,517,500   14,783,654   3.51 
 Dryden Senior Loan Fund 2015-38X 
  SUB                                  7,500,000    6,078,863   1.44 
 Dryden Senior Loan Fund 2015-41X 
  SUB                                    900,000      758,250   0.18 
 Dryden Senior Loan Fund 2016-45X 
  SUB                                  2,368,000    2,131,200   0.51 
 Eaton Vance CDO Ltd 2014-1X INC       8,000,000    4,130,000   0.98 
 Highbridge Loan Management 3-2014     9,031,000    6,216,338   1.47 
 Highbridge Loan Management 4-2015 
  Ltd                                  4,900,000    4,539,648   1.08 
 HPS Loan Management 10-2016 Ltd      20,550,000   18,034,680   4.27 
 Magnetite IX Ltd                      4,882,743    3,257,278   0.77 
 Magnetite XI                         21,980,270   17,694,117   4.19 
 Magnetite XIV Ltd                     4,663,717    4,220,664   1.00 
 Magnetite XV Ltd                      3,000,000    2,957,686   0.70 
 Magnetite XVIII Ltd                  10,000,000    8,660,000   2.05 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2013-14A 
  E                                    7,000,000    6,393,525   1.52 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2013-14X 
  SUB                                 18,554,000   11,217,860   2.66 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2013-15X 
  SUB                                  3,500,000    1,985,773   0.47 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2014-16X 
  F                                    7,500,000    5,949,773   1.41 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2016-21A 
  SUB                                  2,200,000    2,118,094   0.50 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2016-23A 
  SUB                                  4,000,000    3,258,918   0.77 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2016-23A 
  SUBF                                   114,546      101,373   0.02 
 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (unaudited) (continued)

As at 31 December 2016

 
                                                              Market 
                                              Nominal          value      % of 
                                             holdings         of US$       NAV 
---------------------------------------  ------------  -------------  -------- 
 COLLATERALISED LOAN OBLIGATIONS 
 REGION OF TRADE 
 North America 
 COUNTRY OF INCORPORATION 
 Cayman Islands (December 2015: 
  74.44%) 
 NYLIM Flatiron CLO Ltd 2006-1X 
  SUB                                       2,000,000        350,000      0.08 
 Palmer Square CLO 2015-1 Ltd 2015-1A 
  SUB                                       5,000,000      4,037,500      0.96 
 Rampart CLO 2007 Ltd 2007-1A SUB          11,000,000        989,267      0.23 
 Seneca Park CLO Ltd 2014-1X SUB            6,500,000      3,802,500      0.90 
 Stewart Park CLO Ltd 2015-1X SUB          10,000,000      8,975,000      2.13 
 Taconic Park CLO Ltd 2016-1A SUB          15,000,000     13,328,250      3.16 
 Thacher Park CLO Ltd 2014-1X SUB           4,000,000      2,706,667      0.64 
 THL Credit Wind River CLO Ltd 
  2013-2                                    5,000,000      3,316,250      0.79 
 THL Credit Wind River CLO Ltd 
  2014-3                                    2,500,000      2,220,244      0.53 
 Treman Park CLO Ltd 2015-1A                4,000,000      3,040,000      0.72 
 Tryon Park CLO Ltd 2013-1X E               4,700,000      3,893,916      0.92 
 Tryon Park CLO Ltd 2013-1X SUB            12,000,000      6,539,730      1.55 
 VOYA Investment Management CLO 
  Ltd 2015-2X SUB                          18,000,000     15,315,972      3.63 
 Webster Park CLO Ltd 2015-1X SUB          14,900,000     13,559,000      3.22 
                                                         312,714,412     74.15 
---------------------------------------  ------------  -------------  -------- 
 
 Ireland (December 2015: 2.01%) 
 Dorchester Park CLO Ltd 2015-1X 
  SUB                                      10,000,000      8,355,000      1.98 
---------------------------------------  ------------  -------------  -------- 
                                                           8,355,000      1.98 
---------------------------------------  ------------  -------------  -------- 
 
 TOTAL COLLATERALISED LOAN OBLIGATIONS 
  (DECEMBER 2015: 76.45%)                                321,069,412     76.13 
---------------------------------------  ------------  -------------  -------- 
 
 INVESTMENT IN SUBSIDIARIES 
 REGION OF TRADE 
 North America 
 COUNTRY OF INCORPORATION 
 Cayman Islands (December 2015: 
  20.20%) 
 Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A E               8,000,000      7,286,895      1.73 
 Keuka Park CLO Ltd 2013-1A SUB            23,350,000     12,513,966      2.97 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2014-17X 
  SFN                                       1,684,737      1,103,503      0.26 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2014-17X 
  SUB                                      29,100,000     18,250,550      4.32 
 Pinnacle Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A 
  SUB                                      25,000,000     17,109,375      4.06 
 Sheridan Square CLO Ltd 2013-1A 
  F                                        11,900,000     10,076,384      2.39 
 Sheridan Square CLO Ltd 2013-1A 
  INC                                      12,000,000      5,730,000      1.36 
 Sheridan Square CLO Ltd 2013-1A 
  SUB                                      20,000,000      9,550,000      2.26 
 Sheridan Square CLO Ltd 2013-1X 
  INC                                       6,500,000      3,103,750      0.74 
                                                          84,724,423     20.09 
---------------------------------------  ------------  -------------  -------- 
 
 TOTAL INVESTMENTS AT FAIR VALUE (DECEMBER 
  2015: 96.65%)                                          405,793,835     96.22 
 OTHER ASSETS (DECEMBER 2015: 7.14%)                      18,039,434      4.28 
 OTHER LIABILITIES (DECEMBER 2015: 
  (3.79)%)                                               (2,092,950)    (0.50) 
---------------------------------------  ------------  -------------  -------- 
 TOTAL NET ASSETS ATTRIBUTABLE 
  TO EQUITY PARTICIPATING SHAREHOLDERS                   421,740,319    100.00 
---------------------------------------  ------------  -------------  -------- 
 
 
 
   SUMMARY OF KEY FINANCIAL INFORMATION 
   (unaudited) 
 
 NAV HISTORY 
                           Financial        Financial        Financial        Financial        Financial 
                          year ended       year ended       year ended       year ended       year ended 
                         31 December      31 December      31 December      31 December      31 December 
                                3016             2015             2014             2013             2012 
-------------------  ---------------  ---------------  ---------------  ---------------  --------------- 
                      US$421,740,319   US$392,837,444   US$488,572,102   US$514,219,232   US$557,381,860 
 NAV 
 NAV per share 
      US Dollar 
       class               US$0.7763        US$0.7231        US$0.8993        US$0.9466        US$1.0261 
 Shares at 
  financial 
  year end 
      US Dollar 
       class             543,253,359      543,253,359      543,253,359      543,253,359      543,253,359 
 Income per 
  Prospectus 
  (inclusive 
 of interest 
  income on 
  cash and 
 cash equivalents)     US$60,475,305    US$67,435,088    US$66,536,306    US$82,421,817    US$67,183,883 
 Value of 
  investments         US$405,793,835   US$379,662,763   US$486,340,728   US$536,612,325   US$548,792,855 
 Number of 
  investments                     68               64               70               91               92 
-------------------  ---------------  ---------------  ---------------  ---------------  --------------- 
 

The financial year-end exchange rate was EUR: US$1.05265 (31 December 2015: US$1.08630). The average rate for the financial year was EUR: US$1.10353 (31 December 2015: US$1.11035).

PORTOLIO CHANGES MATERIAL ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSALS/PAYDOWNS (unaudited)

for the financial year ended 31 December 2016

 
                                                       Quantity                       US$ 
 Acquisitions                                         purchased                     costs 
--------------------------------------  -----------------------  ------------------------ 
 Institutional Cash Series Plc 
  - Institutional US Dollar Liquidity 
  Fund                                               57,024,377                57,024,377 
 HPS Loan Management 10-2016 
  Ltd                                                20,550,000                18,034,680 
 Magnetite XI                                        21,980,270                16,075,548 
 Cedar Funding CLO Ltd 2016-5A 
  SUB                                                14,517,500                14,517,500 
 Taconic Park CLO Ltd 2016-1A 
  SUB                                                15,000,000                13,328,250 
 Magnetite XVIII Ltd                                 10,000,000                 8,620,000 
 Dryden Senior Loan Fund 2015-38X 
  SUB                                                 7,500,000                 6,086,250 
 Apidos CLO 2015-20A                                 10,400,000                 5,876,000 
 Highbridge Loan Management 
  3-2014                                              7,281,000                 5,159,861 
 Birchwood Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A                       8,000,000                 4,160,000 
 Magnetite XIV Ltd                                    4,663,717                 4,104,071 
 Palmer Square CLO 2015-1 Ltd 
  2015-1A SUB                                         5,000,000                 3,388,000 
 Magnetite IX Ltd                                     4,882,743                 3,381,300 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2016-23A 
  SUB                                                 4,000,000                 3,232,636 
 Burnham Park CLO Ltd 2014-1A                         3,000,000                 2,812,500 
 Treman Park CLO Ltd 2015-1A                          4,000,000                 2,700,000 
 Carlyle Global Market Strategies 
  CLO Ltd 2016-1A SUB                                 3,000,000                 2,565,000 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2016-21A 
  SUB                                                 2,200,000                 2,145,000 
 Dryden Senior Loan Fund 2016-45X 
  SUB                                                 2,368,000                 2,131,200 
 Bowman Park CLO Ltd 2014-1X                          2,500,000                 1,737,500 
 
 
                                                      Quantity                       US$ 
 Disposals/Paydowns*                                      sold                  proceeds 
--------------------------------------  ----------------------  ------------------------ 
 Institutional Cash Series Plc 
  - Institutional US Dollar Liquidity 
  Fund                                              41,000,000                41,000,000 
 Voya CLO II Ltd                                    17,000,000                15,124,149 
 Babson CLO Ltd 2013-IX SUB                         21,000,000                11,760,000 
 Flatiron CLO 2014-1 Ltd                            31,000,000                11,594,000 
 Carlyle Daytona CLO Ltd 2007-1A 
  B2L                                               12,190,753                10,492,581 
 ARES CLO Ltd 2007-3RA E                             7,000,000                 6,598,200 
 BNPP IP CLO Ltd 2014-1X SUB                        22,300,000                 6,188,250 
 Clear Lake CLO Ltd 2006-1A 
  D                                                  6,184,393                 6,159,655 
 Cedar Creek CLO Ltd 2013-1 
  SUB                                               10,200,000                 5,409,060 
 Dryden Senior Loan Fund 2013-26X 
  SUB                                                6,000,000                 2,857,800 
 Neuberger Berman CLO Ltd 2014-16X 
  F                                                  5,000,000                 2,839,500 
 ARES CLO Ltd 2014-32X E                             3,750,000                 2,498,250 
 Gale Force CLO Ltd 2007-3X 
  E                                                  2,391,994                 2,301,338 
 Saturn CLO Ltd 2007-1A D 144A                       2,170,000                 2,030,035 
 Saturn CLO Ltd 2007-1X D                            2,030,000                 1,899,065 
 ECP CLO 2014-6X Ltd                                 4,100,000                 1,609,250 
 Gale Force CLO Ltd 2007-3A 
  E                                                  1,530,876                 1,472,244 
 Nantucket CLO Ltd 2006-1A E                         1,500,000                 1,388,550 
 Silvermore CLO Ltd 2014-1X 
  B SUB                                              8,300,000                   871,500 
 Carlyle Azure CLO Ltd (Preference 
  Shares)                                               75,000                         - 
 

* Represents total of the disposals.

MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

 
 DIRECTORS*                        REGISTERED OFFICE 
 Werner Schwanberg (Chairman)**    78 Sir John Rogerson's Quay 
 Fergus Sheridan**                 Dublin 2 
 Adrian Waters**                   Ireland 
 Edward D'Alelio 
 Nicholas Moss**                   COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 
                                    415764 
                                   US Dollar shares ISIN: IE00B3D60Z08 
 ADMINISTRATOR AND COMPANY 
  SECRETARY 
 State Street Fund Services        INVESTMENT MANAGER 
  (Ireland) Limited 
 78 Sir John Rogerson's Quay       GSO / Blackstone Debt Funds 
                                    Management LLC 
 Dublin 2                          345 Park Avenue 
 Ireland                           Floor 31 
                                   New York 
 CUSTODIAN                         NY 10154 
 State Street Custodial Services   United States of America 
  (Ireland) Limited 
 78 Sir John Rogerson's Quay 
 Dublin 2                          JOINT FINANCIAL ADVISER 
  Ireland                           AND JOINT CORPORATE BROKER 
                                   Fidante Partners Europe 
                                    Limited (trading as Fidante 
                                    Capital) 
 SOLICITORS AS TO US AND           1 Tudor Street 
  ENGLISH LAW 
 Herbert Smith Freehills           London EC4Y 0AH 
  LLP 
 Exchange House                    United Kingdom 
 Primrose Street 
 London EC2A 2EG                   JOINT FINANCIAL ADVISER 
  United Kingdom                    AND JOINT CORPORATE BROKER 
                                   Nplus1 Singer Advisory LLP 
 SOLICITORS AS TO IRISH LAW        One Bartholomew Lane 
 Arthur Cox                        London EC2N 2AX 
 10 Earlsfort Terrace              United Kingdom 
 Dublin 2 
 D02 T380                          INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 
 Ireland                           KPMG 
                                   1 Harbourmaster Place 
 REGISTRAR                         IFSC 
 Computershare Investor Services   Dublin1 
  (Ireland) Limited 
 Herron House                      Ireland 
 Corrig Road 
 Sandyford Industrial Estate 
  Dublin 18 
 Ireland 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   *   All Directors of Carador Income Fund PLC are Non-Executive Directors. 

** Independent Directors.

[1] Source: Credit Suisse, as of 31 December 2016.

[2] Source: JP Morgan, as of 31 December 2016.

[3] Source: Bloomberg, 30 December 2016 share price $0.7163.

[4] Source: Bloomberg, 30 December 2016 share price $0.7163.

[5] The indices referenced may be materially different from that of the composition of Carador. In particular, Carador does not have direct exposure to leveraged loans, but rather its exposure comes through its ownership of CLO securities. In addition, these indices employ different investment guidelines and criteria than Carador; as a result, Carador's exposure to leveraged loans is expected to differ significantly from the securities or other assets that comprise the indices. The performance of these indices has not been selected to represent an appropriate benchmark to compare to the performance of Carador, but rather is disclosed to allow for comparison of the performance of Carador to that of well know, relevant indices. A summary of the investment guidelines of these indices is available upon request.

[6] Source: JP Morgan, Leveraged Loan Market Monitor 3 January 2017.

[7] Source: Credit Suisse, as of 31 December 2016.

[8] Source: S&P/LCD, as of 10 February 2017.

[9] Source: Wells Fargo, The CLO Salmagundi: 2016 - U.S. Year in Review 3 January 2017.

[10] The indices referenced may be materially different from that of the composition of Carador. In particular, Carador does not have direct exposure to leveraged loans, but rather its exposure comes through its ownership of CLO securities. In addition, these indices employ different investment guidelines and criteria than Carador; as a result, Carador's exposure to leveraged loans is expected to differ significantly from the securities or other assets that comprise the indices. The performance of these indices has not been selected to represent an appropriate benchmark to compare to the performance of Carador, but rather is disclosed to allow for comparison of the performance of Carador to that of well know, relevant indices. A summary of the investment guidelines of these indices is available upon request.

[11] Source: Wells Fargo, The CLO Monthly Market Overview 6 January 2017.

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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April 27, 2017 07:20 ET (11:20 GMT)

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