BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU)

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The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc., comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.

BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU) has returned -2.96% so far this year and 3.08% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, DSU has returned 8.10% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Mar 30, 1998, DSU's average daily return is +0.03%, while the average monthly return is +0.54%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 10.7 years.

Historically, 59% of months were positive and 41% were negative. The best month was Apr 2009 with a return of +24.4%, while the worst month was Feb 2009 at -32.1%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.

On a daily basis, DSU closed higher 47% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +31.1%, while the worst single day was Mar 18, 2020 at -25.2%.

BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. has an annualized alpha of 3.15%, beta of 0.50, and R² of 0.19 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since March 31, 1998.

• This fund participated in 68.23% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 61.83% of its upside — more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
• Beta of 0.50 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.19 this fund is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index — low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this fund's risk.
• R² of 0.19 means this fund moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index — capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.

DSU has a high expense ratio of 2.47%, indicating above-average management fees.

DSU ranks 10 for risk / return — in the bottom 10% of mutual funds on our site. This means you're taking on significantly more risk than the returns justify. Consider whether the potential upside is worth the volatility, or explore alternatives with better risk / return profiles.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).

BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. provided a 12.35% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.18 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 3 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc.. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc.. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. was 72.03%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 846 trading sessions.

The current BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. drawdown is 4.83%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.