SEC Form N-CSR filed by Eaton Vance Senior Floating-Rate Fund

Investments in fixed income and other debt obligations, including loans, (referred to below as “debt instruments”) are subject to the risk of non-payment of scheduled principal and interest. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances may reduce the capacity of the party obligated to make principal and interest payments on such instruments and may lead to defaults. Such non-payments and defaults may reduce the value of Fund shares and income distributions. The value of debt instruments also may decline because of concerns about the issuer’s ability to make principal and interest payments. In addition, the credit ratings of debt instruments may be lowered if the financial condition of the party obligated to make payments with respect to such instruments deteriorates. In the event of bankruptcy of the issuer of a debt instrument, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing the instrument. In order to enforce its rights in the event of a default, bankruptcy or similar situation, the Fund may be required to retain legal or similar counsel, which may increase the Fund’s operating expenses and adversely affect net asset value. Due to their lower place in the borrower’s capital structure, secured and unsecured subordinated loans, second lien loans and subordinate bridge loans involve a higher degree of overall risk than Senior Loans to the same borrower.

Loans are traded in a private, unregulated inter-dealer or inter-bank resale market and are generally subject to contractual restrictions that must be satisfied before a loan can be bought or sold. These restrictions may impede the Fund’s ability to buy or sell loans (thus affecting their liquidity) and may negatively impact the transaction price. See also “Market Risk” above. It also may take longer than seven days for transactions in loans to settle. The types of covenants included in loan agreements generally vary depending on market conditions, the creditworthiness of the issuer, the nature of the collateral securing the loan and possibly other factors. Loans with fewer covenants that restrict activities of the borrower may provide the borrower with more flexibility to take actions that may be detrimental to the loan holders and provide fewer investor protections in the event of such actions or if covenants are breached. The Fund may experience relatively greater realized or unrealized losses or delays and expense in enforcing its rights with respect to loans with fewer restrictive covenants. Loans to entities located outside of the U.S. may have substantially different lender protections and covenants as compared to loans to U.S. entities and may involve greater risks. The Fund may have difficulties and incur expense enforcing its rights with respect to non-U.S. loans and such loans could be subject to bankruptcy laws that are materially different than in the U.S. Loans may be structured such that they are not securities under securities law, and in the event of fraud or misrepresentation by a borrower, lenders may not have the protection of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws. Loans are also subject to risks associated with other types of income investments, including credit risk and risks of lower rated investments.

Investments rated below investment grade and comparable unrated investments (sometimes referred to as “junk”) are speculative because of increased credit risk relative to other fixed income investments. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances typically have a greater effect on the ability of issuers of lower rated investments to make principal and interest payments than they do on issuers of higher rated investments. An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate, and a lower rated investment may lose significant value before a default occurs. Lower rated investments typically are subject to greater price volatility and illiquidity than higher rated investments.

In general, the value of debt instruments will fluctuate based on changes in interest rates. The value of these securities is likely to increase when interest rates fall and decline when interest rates rise. Duration measures the time-weighted expected cash flows of a fixed income security, while maturity refers to the amount of time until a fixed income security matures. Generally, securities with longer durations or maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates than securities with shorter durations or maturities, causing them to be more volatile. Conversely, fixed-income securities with shorter durations or maturities will be less volatile but may provide lower returns than fixed-income securities with longer durations or maturities. The impact of interest rate changes is significantly less for floating-rate instruments that have relatively short periodic rate resets (e.g., ninety days or less). In a rising interest rate environment, the duration or maturities of income securities that have the ability to be prepaid or called by the issuer may be extended. In a declining interest rate environment, the proceeds from prepaid or maturing instruments may have to be reinvested at a lower interest rate.

The London Interbank Offered Rate or LIBOR historically was used throughout global banking and financial industries to determine interest rates for a variety of financial instruments (such as debt instruments and derivatives) and borrowing arrangements. The ICE Benchmark Administration Limited, the administrator of LIBOR ceased publishing certain LIBOR settings on December 31, 2021, and ceased publishing the remaining LIBOR settings on June 30, 2023. In addition, global regulators have announced that, with limited exceptions, no new LIBOR-based contracts should be entered into after 2021. The Fund has exposure to instruments that were historically based on LIBOR. The impact of the transition away from LIBOR on certain debt securities, derivatives and other financial instruments that utilize LIBOR remains uncertain. The transition away from LIBOR and the use of replacement rates may adversely affect transactions that used LIBOR as a reference rate, financial institutions, funds and other market participants that engaged in such transactions, and the financial markets generally. Any effects of the transition away from LIBOR and the adoption of alternative reference rates, as well as other unforeseen effects, could result in losses to the Fund. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition to replacement rates may be exacerbated if an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner.

The Fund’s investments in non-investment grade bonds, commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” are predominantly speculative because of the credit risk of their issuers. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, non-investment grade bonds typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. Issuers of non-investment grade bonds are more likely to default on their payments of interest and principal owed to the Fund, and such defaults will reduce the Fund’s net asset value and income distributions. The prices of these lower rated obligations are more sensitive to negative developments than higher rated securities. Adverse business conditions, such as a decline in the issuer’s revenues or an economic downturn, generally lead to a higher non-payment rate. In addition, a security may lose significant value before a default occurs as the market adjusts to expected higher non-payment rates.