The October reporting period was fairly tumultuous for financial markets, but culminated in positive performance for most major benchmarks:

Total returns as of October 31, 2007

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Index performance shown for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly in an index.

Subprime mortgage woes dominated headlines for much of 2007, but intensified in the summer and fall, spawning a widespread liquidity and credit crisis with ramifications across global markets. The Federal Reserve Board (Fed) and other countries’ central banks stepped in to inject liquidity into the markets and bolster investor confidence. The Fed cut the federal funds rate by 0.50% in September and another 0.25% on the final day of the reporting period, bringing its target rate to 4.50%. In taking action, the central bankers, who had long deemed themselves inflation fighters, were seeking to stem the fallout from the credit crunch and forestall a wider economic unraveling. By period-end, the Fed had cited the risks between slower economic growth and faster inflation as equally balanced.

Amid the volatility throughout the past year, equity markets have displayed surprising resilience. Most recently, the credit turmoil dampened corporate merger-and-acquisition (M&A) activity, a key source of strength for equity markets. Still, market fundamentals have held firm, dividend payouts and share buybacks have continued to grow, and valuations remain attractive. These tailwinds generally have prevailed over the headwinds created by the slowing U.S. economy, troubled housing market and, recently, a more difficult corporate earnings backdrop. International markets fared even better than U.S. equities, benefiting from robust M&A activity and generally stronger economies.

In fixed income markets, mixed economic signals and the credit woes resulted in a flight to quality. At the height of the uncertainty, investors shunned bonds associated with the housing and credit markets in favor of higher-quality Treasury issues. The yield on 10-year Treasury issues, which touched 5.30% in June (its highest level in five years), fell to 4.48% by period-end, while prices correspondingly rose. The tax-exempt bond market has been challenged by a combination of record-setting supply year-to-date, economic uncertainty and concerns around the credit worthiness of bond insurers. This has brought municipal bond prices to relatively attractive levels and, as such, demand generally has remained firm.

As you navigate market volatility, we encourage you to review your investment goals with your financial professional and to make portfolio changes, as needed. For more market insight and commentary from BlackRock investment professionals, we invite you to visit www.blackrock.com/funds. As always, we thank you for entrusting BlackRock with your investment assets, and we look forward to continuing to serve you in the months and years ahead.

Sincerely,