UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM N-Q

 

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY

 

Investment Company Act file number

811-04809

 

 

LIBERTY ALL-STAR EQUITY FUND

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado

 

80203

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip code)

 

Tané T. Tyler
Liberty All-Star Equity Fund
1290 Broadway, Suite 1100
Denver, Colorado 80203

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

Registrant's telephone number, including area code:

(303) 623-2577

 

 

Date of fiscal year end:

December 31

 

 

 

 

Date of reporting period:

March 31, 2008

 

 



 

Item 1 – Schedule of Investments.

 



 

LIBERTY ALL-STAR EQUITY FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

as of March 31, 2008 (unaudited)

 

 

 

SHARES

 

MARKET VALUE

 

COMMON STOCKS (96.64%)

 

 

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY (11.15%)

 

 

 

 

 

Auto Components (0.46%)

 

 

 

 

 

Magna International, Inc., Class A

 

67,575

 

$

4,875,536

 

Visteon Corp.(a)

 

247,400

 

930,224

 

 

 

 

 

5,805,760

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Builders (0.16%)

 

 

 

 

 

DR Horton, Inc.

 

130,200

 

2,050,650

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure (2.12%)

 

 

 

 

 

Carnival Corp.

 

78,275

 

3,168,572

 

Las Vegas Sands Corp.(a)

 

91,290

 

6,722,596

 

McDonald’s Corp.

 

224,300

 

12,509,211

 

Yum! Brands, Inc.

 

115,097

 

4,282,759

 

 

 

 

 

26,683,138

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Household Durables (1.58%)

 

 

 

 

 

Centex Corp.

 

231,775

 

5,611,273

 

NVR, Inc.(a)

 

9,475

 

5,661,313

 

Whirlpool Corp.

 

99,350

 

8,621,592

 

 

 

 

 

19,894,178

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internet & Catalog Retail (1.14%)

 

 

 

 

 

Amazon.com, Inc.(a)

 

201,380

 

14,358,394

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Media (3.01%)

 

 

 

 

 

Comcast Corp., Class A

 

472,000

 

8,953,841

 

Liberty Media Corp., Capital Group, Series A(a)

 

67,779

 

1,066,841

 

Liberty Media Corp., Entertainment Group(a)

 

199,116

 

4,507,986

 

The McGraw-Hill Cos., Inc.

 

218,000

 

8,055,100

 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

 

26,200

 

1,157,516

 

Time Warner, Inc.

 

625,000

 

8,762,501

 

XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc., Class A(a)

 

467,800

 

5,435,836

 

 

 

 

 

37,939,621

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Multi-line Retail (0.16%)

 

 

 

 

 

J.C. Penney Co., Inc.

 

54,075

 

2,039,168

 

 



 

Specialty Retail (2.31%)

 

 

 

 

 

Best Buy Co., Inc.

 

6,325

 

262,235

 

Chico’s FAS, Inc.(a)

 

194,200

 

1,380,762

 

The Gap, Inc.

 

138,000

 

2,715,840

 

Home Depot, Inc.

 

308,425

 

8,626,647

 

Office Depot, Inc.(a)

 

277,000

 

3,060,850

 

Staples, Inc.

 

384,275

 

8,496,320

 

The TJX Companies, Inc.

 

140,175

 

4,635,587

 

 

 

 

 

29,178,241

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods (0.21%)

 

 

 

 

 

NIKE, Inc., Class B

 

38,800

 

2,638,400

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES (6.04%)

 

 

 

 

 

Beverages (1.26%)

 

 

 

 

 

The Coca-Cola Co.

 

194,100

 

11,814,867

 

PepsiCo, Inc.

 

55,800

 

4,028,760

 

 

 

 

 

15,843,627

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food & Staples Retailing (2.72%)

 

 

 

 

 

CVS Caremark Corp.

 

100,100

 

4,055,051

 

Walgreen Co.

 

86,000

 

3,275,740

 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

 

512,425

 

26,994,549

 

 

 

 

 

34,325,340

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food Products (1.28%)

 

 

 

 

 

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.

 

132,200

 

5,441,351

 

Kraft Foods, Inc.

 

174,575

 

5,413,571

 

Sara Lee Corp.

 

197,546

 

2,761,693

 

Smithfield Foods, Inc.(a)

 

2,700

 

69,552

 

Tyson Foods, Inc., Class A

 

156,550

 

2,496,973

 

 

 

 

 

16,183,140

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Household Products (0.78%)

 

 

 

 

 

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

 

125,700

 

9,793,287

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENERGY (9.51%)

 

 

 

 

 

Energy Equipment & Services (1.98%)

 

 

 

 

 

Schlumberger Ltd.

 

203,130

 

17,672,310

 

Transocean, Inc.(a)

 

53,599

 

7,246,585

 

 

 

 

 

24,918,895

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oil & Gas (0.29%)

 

 

 

 

 

XTO Energy, Inc.

 

59,200

 

3,662,112

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oil & Gas Services (0.40%)

 

 

 

 

 

Weatherford International Ltd.(a)

 

69,100

 

5,007,677

 

 



 

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels (6.84%)

 

 

 

 

 

Apache Corp.

 

63,800

 

7,708,316

 

Arch Coal, Inc.

 

401,875

 

17,481,563

 

BP PLC(b)

 

85,979

 

5,214,626

 

Cameco Corp.

 

60,675

 

1,998,635

 

Chevron Corp.

 

117,000

 

9,987,120

 

ConocoPhillips

 

135,000

 

10,288,350

 

Consol Energy, Inc.

 

198,700

 

13,748,053

 

Devon Energy Corp.

 

170,500

 

17,788,264

 

Massey Energy Co.

 

57,775

 

2,108,788

 

 

 

 

 

86,323,715

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINANCIALS (22.54%)

 

 

 

 

 

Banks (0.50%)

 

 

 

 

 

State Street Corp.

 

79,900

 

6,312,100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Markets (2.20%)

 

 

 

 

 

Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc.

 

96,600

 

3,636,024

 

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

 

182,000

 

7,414,680

 

Morgan Stanley

 

365,375

 

16,697,638

 

 

 

 

 

27,748,342

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial Banks (1.74%)

 

 

 

 

 

Comerica, Inc.

 

128,675

 

4,513,919

 

National City Corp.

 

1,000,275

 

9,952,736

 

Wachovia Corp.

 

276,250

 

7,458,750

 

 

 

 

 

21,925,405

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consumer Finance (1.21%)

 

 

 

 

 

Capital One Financial Corp.

 

251,425

 

12,375,138

 

Discover Financial Services LLC

 

178,537

 

2,922,651

 

 

 

 

 

15,297,789

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diversified Financial Services (4.55%)

 

 

 

 

 

Bank of America Corp.

 

416,650

 

15,795,201

 

Citigroup, Inc.

 

842,075

 

18,037,246

 

IntercontinentalExchange, Inc.(a)

 

78,200

 

10,205,100

 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

 

312,150

 

13,406,843

 

 

 

 

 

57,444,390

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Insurance (6.94%)

 

 

 

 

 

Aflac, Inc.

 

154,200

 

10,015,289

 

The Allstate Corp.

 

249,550

 

11,993,372

 

American International Group, Inc.

 

268,250

 

11,601,812

 

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Class A(a)

 

81

 

10,805,399

 

Fidelity National Financial, Inc.

 

448,750

 

8,225,588

 

 



 

Genworth Financial, Inc., Class A

 

312,000

 

7,063,680

 

MetLife, Inc.

 

40,225

 

2,423,959

 

The Progressive Corp.

 

464,194

 

7,459,598

 

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.

 

73,025

 

3,790,728

 

Torchmark Corp.

 

138,750

 

8,340,263

 

Unum Group

 

63,275

 

1,392,683

 

XL Capital Ltd., Class A

 

149,025

 

4,403,689

 

 

 

 

 

87,516,060

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Real Estate (0.03%)

 

 

 

 

 

The St. Joe Co.(a)

 

8,450

 

362,759

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (1.74%)

 

 

 

 

 

Annaly Capital Management, Inc.

 

1,106,974

 

16,958,842

 

Redwood Trust, Inc.

 

136,375

 

4,957,231

 

 

 

 

 

21,916,073

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrifts & Mortgage Finance (3.63%)

 

 

 

 

 

Countrywide Financial Corp.

 

192,875

 

1,060,813

 

Fannie Mae

 

688,641

 

18,125,031

 

Freddie Mac

 

948,100

 

24,005,891

 

The PMI Group, Inc.

 

118,850

 

691,707

 

Washington Mutual, Inc.

 

180,500

 

1,859,150

 

 

 

 

 

45,742,592

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE (13.72%)

 

 

 

 

 

Biotechnology (4.52%)

 

 

 

 

 

Amgen, Inc.(a)

 

160,025

 

6,685,845

 

Cephalon, Inc.(a)

 

86,300

 

5,557,720

 

Genentech, Inc.(a)

 

201,200

 

16,333,416

 

Genzyme Corp.(a)

 

264,200

 

19,693,468

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc.(a)

 

169,700

 

8,744,641

 

 

 

 

 

57,015,090

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health Care Equipment & Supplies (2.89%)

 

 

 

 

 

Baxter International, Inc.

 

161,100

 

9,314,802

 

Becton Dickinson & Co.

 

81,400

 

6,988,190

 

Boston Scientific Corp.(a)

 

197,775

 

2,545,364

 

Covidien Ltd.

 

237,850

 

10,524,863

 

Varian Medical Systems, Inc.(a)

 

150,400

 

7,044,736

 

 

 

 

 

36,417,955

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health Care Providers & Services (1.08%)

 

 

 

 

 

AmerisourceBergen Corp.

 

128,038

 

5,246,997

 

Express Scripts, Inc.(a)

 

66,300

 

4,264,416

 

Omnicare, Inc.

 

225,850

 

4,101,436

 

 

 

 

 

13,612,849

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Services (0.02%)

 

 

 

 

 

Brookdale Senior Living, Inc.

 

13,150

 

314,285

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health Care Technology (0.43%)

 

 

 

 

 

Cerner Corp.(a)

 

144,332

 

5,380,697

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals (4.78%)

 

 

 

 

 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

 

331,050

 

7,051,365

 

Johnson & Johnson

 

270,450

 

17,544,091

 

Pfizer, Inc.

 

752,900

 

15,758,197

 

Schering-Plough Corp.

 

167,800

 

2,417,998

 

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.(b)

 

187,400

 

8,656,006

 

Wyeth

 

211,500

 

8,832,240

 

 

 

 

 

60,259,897

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS (12.08%)

 

 

 

 

 

Aerospace & Defense (3.63%)

 

 

 

 

 

The Boeing Co.

 

54,375

 

4,043,869

 

Bombardier, Inc., Class B(a)

 

893,250

 

4,760,171

 

General Dynamics Corp.

 

94,500

 

7,878,465

 

Honeywell International, Inc.

 

92,800

 

5,235,776

 

L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.

 

25,300

 

2,766,302

 

Lockheed Martin Corp.

 

99,700

 

9,900,209

 

Northrop Grumman Corp.

 

72,750

 

5,660,678

 

United Technologies Corp.

 

81,100

 

5,581,302

 

 

 

 

 

45,826,772

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Air Freight & Logistics (1.26%)

 

 

 

 

 

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.

 

187,445

 

10,197,008

 

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.

 

126,390

 

5,710,300

 

 

 

 

 

15,907,308

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial Services & Supplies (0.35%)

 

 

 

 

 

Monster Worldwide, Inc.(a)

 

181,000

 

4,382,010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Industrial Conglomerates (3.11%)

 

 

 

 

 

3M Co.

 

112,400

 

8,896,460

 

General Electric Co.

 

562,200

 

20,807,022

 

Tyco International Ltd.

 

216,500

 

9,536,825

 

 

 

 

 

39,240,307

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Machinery (2.08%)

 

 

 

 

 

Deere & Co.

 

148,400

 

11,937,296

 

Navistar International Corp.(a)

 

237,158

 

14,265,054

 

 

 

 

 

26,202,350

 

 



 

Road & Rail (1.07%)

 

 

 

 

 

CSX Corp.

 

190,750

 

10,695,352

 

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

 

89,025

 

2,798,056

 

 

 

 

 

13,493,408

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trading Companies & Distributors (0.03%)

 

 

 

 

 

Wolseley PLC(b)

 

32,550

 

341,775

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transportation (0.55%)

 

 

 

 

 

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.

 

75,700

 

6,981,054

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (16.89%)

 

 

 

 

 

Communications Equipment (3.45%)

 

 

 

 

 

Alcatel-Lucent(b)

 

2,145,198

 

12,356,340

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.(a)

 

352,000

 

8,479,680

 

Motorola, Inc.

 

165,100

 

1,535,430

 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

 

362,600

 

14,866,600

 

Research In Motion Ltd.(a)

 

56,100

 

6,296,103

 

 

 

 

 

43,534,153

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Computers (0.49%)

 

 

 

 

 

Apple, Inc.(a)

 

40,100

 

5,754,350

 

SanDisk Corp.(a)

 

20,575

 

464,378

 

 

 

 

 

6,218,728

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Computers & Peripherals (1.99%)

 

 

 

 

 

Dell, Inc.(a)

 

868,725

 

17,305,002

 

International Business Machines Corp.

 

47,000

 

5,411,580

 

NetApp, Inc.(a)

 

117,415

 

2,354,171

 

 

 

 

 

25,070,753

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electronic Equipment & Instruments (0.93%)

 

 

 

 

 

AU Optronics Corp.(b)

 

358,318

 

6,159,480

 

Celestica, Inc.(a)

 

254,925

 

1,713,096

 

Tyco Electronics Ltd.

 

113,250

 

3,886,740

 

 

 

 

 

11,759,316

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internet Software & Services (2.52%)

 

 

 

 

 

eBay, Inc.(a)

 

327,200

 

9,763,648

 

Google, Inc., Class A(a)

 

34,700

 

15,284,309

 

VeriSign, Inc.(a)

 

204,095

 

6,784,118

 

 

 

 

 

31,832,075

 

 



 

IT Services (1.87%)

 

 

 

 

 

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., Class A(a)

 

176,350

 

8,836,899

 

BearingPoint, Inc.(a)

 

698,605

 

1,173,656

 

Computer Sciences Corp.(a)

 

20,000

 

815,800

 

Visa, Inc.(a)

 

45,295

 

2,824,596

 

The Western Union Co.

 

467,000

 

9,933,090

 

 

 

 

 

23,584,041

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment (2.41%)

 

 

 

 

 

Analog Devices, Inc.

 

292,000

 

8,619,840

 

Intel Corp.

 

325,000

 

6,883,500

 

International Rectifier Corp.(a)

 

166,028

 

3,569,602

 

Novellus Systems, Inc.(a)

 

393,000

 

8,272,650

 

Qimonda AG(a)(b)

 

311,100

 

1,340,841

 

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.(b)

 

170,000

 

1,745,900

 

 

 

 

 

30,432,333

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Software (3.23%)

 

 

 

 

 

CA, Inc.

 

256,675

 

5,775,188

 

Microsoft Corp.

 

486,025

 

13,793,389

 

Oracle Corp.(a)

 

130,825

 

2,558,937

 

Salesforce.com, Inc.(a)

 

213,500

 

12,355,245

 

Symantec Corp.(a)

 

371,000

 

6,166,020

 

 

 

 

 

40,648,779

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MATERIALS (1.94%)

 

 

 

 

 

Chemicals (1.62%)

 

 

 

 

 

Cytec Industries, Inc.

 

31,475

 

1,694,929

 

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, Inc.

 

76,700

 

11,904,607

 

Praxair, Inc.

 

80,300

 

6,763,669

 

 

 

 

 

20,363,205

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metals & Mining (0.32%)

 

 

 

 

 

Allegheny Technologies, Inc.

 

56,600

 

4,038,976

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES (1.05%)

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless Telecommunication Services (1.05%)

 

 

 

 

 

America Movil SA de CV(b)

 

64,300

 

4,095,267

 

Mobile TeleSystems OJSC(b)

 

102,700

 

7,789,795

 

NII Holdings, Inc.(a)

 

21,150

 

672,147

 

Sprint Nextel Corp.(a)

 

93,950

 

628,526

 

 

 

 

 

13,185,735

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UTILITIES (1.72%)

 

 

 

 

 

Electric Utilities (0.99%)

 

 

 

 

 

Reliant Energy, Inc.(a)

 

529,225

 

12,516,171

 

 



 

Multi-Utilities (0.73%)

 

 

 

 

 

Sempra Energy

 

81,250

 

4,329,000

 

Wisconsin Energy Corp., Series C

 

110,200

 

4,847,698

 

 

 

 

 

9,176,698

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost of $1,290,426,167)

 

 

 

1,218,647,573

 

 

 

 

SHARES

 

MARKET VALUE

 

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (0.25%)

 

 

 

 

 

iShares Russell 1000 Value Index Fund

 

43,950

 

3,214,503

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (Cost of $3,617,547)

 

 

 

3,214,503

 

 

 

 

SHARES

 

MARKET VALUE

 

PREFERRED STOCKS (0.64%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY (0.08%)

 

 

 

 

 

Automobiles (0.08%)

 

 

 

 

 

General Motors Corp., Series C, 6.25%

 

59,300

 

978,450

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINANCIALS (0.56%)

 

 

 

 

 

Savings & Loans (0.56%)

 

 

 

 

 

Washington Mutual, Inc., Series R, 7.75%

 

10,000

 

7,100,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL PREFERRED STOCKS (Cost of $10,254,710)

 

 

 

8,078,450

 

 

 

 

PRINCIPAL

 

 

 

 

 

AMOUNT

 

MARKET VALUE

 

CORPORATE BONDS (0.12%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINANCIALS (0.02%)

 

 

 

 

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (0.02%)

 

 

 

 

 

iStar Financial, Inc., Convertible

 

 

 

 

 

5.229%, 10/01/12(c)

 

$

320,000

 

226,720

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (0.10%)

 

 

 

 

 

Semiconductors (0.10%)

 

 

 

 

 

Qimonda Finance LLC, Convertible, Series ADS

 

 

 

 

 

6.75%, 03/22/13

 

1,383,000

 

1,261,988

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL CORPORATE BONDS (Amortized Cost of $1,621,822)

 

 

 

1,488,708

 

 



 

 

 

PAR VALUE

 

MARKET VALUE

 

SHORT TERM INVESTMENT (2.30%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REPURCHASE AGREEMENT (2.30%)

 

 

 

 

 

Repurchase agreement with State Street Bank & Trust Co., dated 03/31/08, due 04/01/08 at 1.40%, collateralized by several U.S. Treasury Bonds with various maturity dates, market value of $29,564,090 (Repurchase proceeds of $28,975,127)

 

 

 

 

 

(Cost of $28,974,000)

 

$

28,974,000

 

28,974,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS (99.95%) (Cost of 1,334,913,906)(d)

 

 

 

1,260,403,234

 

OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF LIABILITIES (0.05%)

 

 

 

635,710

 

NET ASSETS (100.00%)

 

 

 

$

1,261,038,944

 

NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE (178,677,459 SHARES OUTSTANDING)

 

 

 

$

7.06

 

 


(a) Non-income producing security.

(b) ADR - American Depositary Receipt.

(c) Floating or variable rate security. Interest rate disclosed is that which is in effect at March 31, 2008.

(d) Cost of investments for federal income tax purposes is $1,347,382,847

 

Gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation at March 31, 2008

based on cost of investments for federal income tax purposes is as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

 

$

112,919,602

 

Gross unrealized depreciation

 

(199,899,215

)

Net unrealized depreciation

 

$

(86,979,613

)

 



 

FAIR VALUE REPORTING

 

The Fund adopted the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157 (“FAS 157”), “Fair Value Measurements,” on January 1, 2008.  FAS 157 established a three-tier hierarchy to establish classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. Inputs refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk. Inputs may be observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability that are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability that are developed based on the best information available.

 

Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments as of the end of the reporting period. These inputs are categorized in the following hierarchy under applicable financial accounting standards:

 

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

 

Level 2 – Other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

Level 3 – Significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

 

The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of March 31, 2008.

 

Valuation Inputs

 

Investments in
Securities

 

Other Financial
Instruments*

 

Level 1-Quoted Prices

 

$

1,231,429,234

 

 

Level 2-Other Significant Observable Inputs

 

$

28,974,000

 

 

Level 3-Significant Unobservable Inputs

 

 

 

Total

 

$

1,260,403,234

 

 

 


* Other financial instruments are derivative investments not reflected in the Schedule of Investments such as futures, forwards and swap contracts, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation/depreciation on the investment.

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2008, the Fund did not have significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) used in determining fair value.  Therefore, a reconciliation of assets in which significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) were used in determining fair value is not applicable.

 



 

NOTES TO STATEMENTS OF INVESTMENTS (unaudited)

 

NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION

 

Liberty All-Star Equity Fund (the “Fund”) is a Massachusetts business trust registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Act”), as amended, as a diversified, closed-end management investment company.

 

Investment Goal

 

The Fund seeks total investment return comprised of longterm capital appreciation and current income through investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities.

 

Fund Shares

 

The Fund may issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest.

 

NOTE 2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements.

 

Security Valuation

 

Equity securities are valued at the last sale price at the close of the principal exchange on which they trade, except for securities listed on the NASDAQ, which are valued at the NASDAQ official closing price. Unlisted securities or listed securities for which there were no sales during the day are valued at the closing bid price on such exchanges or over-the-counter markets.

 

Debt securities generally are valued by pricing services approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”), based upon market transactions for normal, institutional-size trading units of similar securities. The services may use various pricing techniques which take into account appropriate factors such as yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics and other data, as well as broker quotes. Debt securities for which quotations are readily available are valued at an over-the-counter or exchange bid quotation.

 

Short-term debt obligations maturing in more than 60 days for which market quotations are readily available are valued at current market value. Short-term debt obligations maturing within 60 days are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.

 

Investments for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith under consistently applied procedures approved by and under the general supervision of the Board.

 



 

Security Transactions

 

Security transactions are accounted for on the trade date. Cost is determined and gains (losses) are based upon the specific identification method for both financial statement and federal income tax purposes.

 

Repurchase Agreements

 

The Fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions with institutions that the Fund’s investment adviser has determined are creditworthy. The Fund, through its custodian, receives delivery of underlying securities collateralizing a repurchase agreement. Collateral is at least equal, at all times, to the value of the repurchase obligation including interest. A repurchase agreement transaction involves certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the counterparty. These risks include possible delays or restrictions upon a Fund’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities and a possible decline in the value of the underlying securities during the period while the Fund seeks to assert its rights.

 

Income Recognition

 

Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Premium and discount are amortized and accreted, respectively, on all debt securities. Corporate actions and dividend income are recorded on the ex-date.

 

The Fund estimates components of distributions from real estate investment trusts (REIT’s). Distributions received in excess of income are recorded as a reduction of the cost of the related investments. If the Fund no longer owns the applicable securities, any distributions received in excess of income are recorded as realized gains.

 

Federal Income Tax Status

 

Consistent with the Fund’s policy to qualify as a regulated investment company and to distribute all of its taxable income to shareholders, no federal income tax has been accrued.

 

Distributions to Shareholders

 

The Fund currently has a policy of paying distributions on its shares of beneficial interest totaling approximately 10% of its net asset value per year. The distributions are payable in four quarterly distributions of 2.5% of the Fund’s net asset value at the close of the New York Stock Exchange on the Friday prior to each quarterly declaration date. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on ex-date.

 



 

Item 2 – Controls and Procedures.

 

(a)           The registrant’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer have evaluated the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) within 90 days of this filing and have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective, as of that date.

 

(b)           There was no change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) during registrant’s last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 3 – Exhibits.

 

Separate certifications for the registrant’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached as Ex99.CERT.

 

2



 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

LIBERTY ALL-STAR EQUITY FUND

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ William Parmentier

 

 

William Parmentier

 

 

President (principal executive
officer)

 

 

 

 

Date:

May 30, 2008

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

By:

/s/ William Parmentier

 

 

William Parmentier

 

 

President (principal executive
officer)

 

 

 

 

Date:

May 30, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jeremy O. May

 

 

Jeremy O. May

 

 

Treasurer (principal financial
officer)

 

 

 

 

Date:

May 30, 2008

 

3