In plain terms — Aberdeen Government Markets Income Fund
Shares currently cost about 7.0% less than the value of the assets behind them (a discount).
Over the past year it has averaged a 78.9% discount, so today's level is unusually high for this fund (Z-score +5.7). That describes the past; it does not predict where the discount goes next.
It pays regular distributions worth about 1.8% a year of the share price (1.7% of the assets). That is a payout rate, not a return: part of it may be capital being handed back, and a one-off special payment in the last year is excluded from the regular rate.
Because the shares trade below the value of their assets, each dollar of reinvested distributions buys about $1.08 of assets — a ReinvestCapture™ rate of 1.9%, more than the payout rate itself. That is buying power, not a return.
The assets themselves fell 7.8% over the past year including distributions (NAV total return).
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Price and NAV, past year
Snapshot
Valuation vs. history
| Window | Average prem/disc | Std. dev. | Z-score | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 months | -71.65% | 25.14% | +2.54 | 55 |
| 6 months | -76.74% | 17.81% | +3.87 | 117 |
| 1 year | -78.86% | 12.55% | +5.66 | 241 |
| 3 years | -80.18% | — | — | — |
| 5 years | -80.53% | — | — | — |
Current contemporaneous premium/discount -7.80% (close Oct 14, 2026 vs NAV Oct 13, 2026). 1-year range -81.63% to -4.08%. A negative Z-score means a wider discount than the window average — not that the fund is undervalued.
Performance
| Series | 1M | 3M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y (ann.) | 5Y (ann.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market price return | +385.87% | +372.18% | +342.57% | +336.81% | +63.73% | +25.78% |
| Market price total return | +389.40% | +382.39% | +381.33% | +381.05% | +78.20% | +38.63% |
| NAV return | -1.83% | -4.74% | -8.35% | -9.50% | -3.77% | -7.95% |
| NAV total return | -1.70% | -4.35% | -6.87% | -7.81% | -2.19% | -6.22% |
Through Oct 14, 2026. Total return reinvests distributions at the series value on the ex-date. Cumulative ≤ 1 year, annualised beyond.
About the fund
The MFS Government Markets Income Trust is a closed-end mutual fund managed by Massachusetts Financial Services Company, specializing in fixed-income investments. This trust primarily allocates its capital to the United States' fixed income markets, with a core emphasis on debt instruments considered investment grade. Beyond its primary focus, the fund diversifies its portfolio into a range of other assets. These include various mortgage-backed securities (both general and residential), debt issued by U.S. government agencies, international sovereign bonds, U.S. Treasuries, emerging markets debt, and high-grade corporate bonds. It also maintains holdings in cash and other net assets for liquidity. The performance of the fund's investment portfolio is benchmarked against the Barclays U.S. Government/Mortgage Bond Index. Established on May 28, 1987, the MFS Government Markets Income Trust is domiciled within the United States.
CEF Explorer research page for Aberdeen Government Markets Income Fund. Figures carry their own dates and sources; a discount to NAV does not guarantee convergence or any return. This is not investment advice.