# BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU): Closed-End Fund Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/dsu for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: BlackRock · Asset class: Fixed Income - Strategy: Actively Managed · Inception: 1998-03-27 The BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. is a closed-end mutual fund, established by BlackRock, Inc., that focuses on fixed-income investments. Managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC, the fund primarily allocates capital within U.S. fixed income markets. Its core strategy involves building a diverse portfolio of corporate debt instruments, including corporate loans. These holdings typically consist of securities rated in the lower categories by established services (BBB or below by S&P's, or Baa or below by Moody's), or unrated debt instruments deemed by the investment adviser to possess compar... ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $8.59 | | Expense Ratio | 1.72% | | Assets Under Management | $601.3M | | NAV | $9.28 | | Holdings Count | 1346 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 13.79% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $1.18 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Monthly | | 52-Week Range | $8.42 – $10.40 | | Beta | 0.51 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.0987 /share - Ex-date: 2026-12-11 - Pay date: 2026-12-22 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does DSU invest in? The BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. is a closed-end mutual fund, established by BlackRock, Inc., that focuses on fixed-income investments. Managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC, the fund primarily allocates capital within U.S. fixed income markets. Its core strategy involves building a diverse portfolio of corporate debt instruments, including corporate loans. These holdings typically consist of securities rated in the lower categories by established services (BBB or below by S&P's, or Baa or below by Moody's), or unrated debt instruments deemed by the investment adviser to possess comparable quality. Formed on March 27, 1998, and domiciled in the United States, it was formerly known as Debt Strategies Fund Inc. ### What is the expense ratio of DSU? BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU) charges an expense ratio of 1.72%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### What is DSU's dividend yield? DSU's trailing-twelve-month yield is 13.79%, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### What is the duration of DSU? Effective duration measures DSU's sensitivity to interest-rate changes: a duration of 6 means a 1% rate move shifts NAV by roughly 6% in the opposite direction. DSU's current duration is published on the fund's factsheet on the issuer's website. ### What is the credit quality of DSU? DSU's credit quality breakdown (the share of holdings rated AAA through CCC and below) is published on the fund's factsheet. Higher-quality (investment-grade) funds yield less but carry less default risk than high-yield / junk bond funds. ### What is the yield to maturity of DSU? Yield to maturity (YTM) is the total return you'd earn from DSU if every bond in the portfolio is held to maturity at the current price. DSU's YTM is published on the fund's factsheet on the issuer's website. It differs from the trailing-12-month yield because YTM reflects current bond prices rather than historical income paid. ### Does DSU pay a dividend? Yes, BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU) distributes dividends to shareholders. The trailing-twelve-month yield is 13.79%. Full dividend history is on this page. ### How often does DSU pay dividends? BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. pays dividends Monthly. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### When is DSU's next ex-dividend date? The most recently announced ex-dividend date for DSU was 2026-12-11. The next ex-date typically follows Monthly; once announced it appears at the top of the dividend history table on this page. ### How much will DSU's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 1.72% expense ratio quietly compounds against your balance every year. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above projects the dollar drag for any holding period and assumption you pick. The typical result for a 1.0% expense ratio on a 30-year hold is roughly 25% of the final balance lost to fees. ### How does DSU charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from DSU's net asset value (NAV). You never see a bill. The price quoted on every exchange is already net of fees. There's no "fee day" to avoid; the cost is continuous and built into the trading price. ### Why does DSU cost more than a fund like VOO? DSU is actively managed (current expense ratio 1.72%). Active funds charge more than passive index trackers in exchange for the manager's discretion to over- or under-weight positions. The Cost Verdict card above tells you whether DSU's fee is competitive for the active-management cohort. ### Are there cheaper alternatives to DSU? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists closed-end funds following the same investment strategy as DSU (1.72%) but at a lower expense ratio. Each row shows the fee gap, the peer's AUM as a liquidity sanity-check, and a direct link to that fund's analysis page. Cheaper price doesn't automatically mean better. Verify the peer holds what you actually want. ## More on Dividend Data - Overview (HTML): https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/dsu - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/dsu/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/dsu/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/dsu/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/dsu/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.