A non-executive director of Aberdeen Asian Income Fund bought 3,453 shares on 23 October 2026, as the trust's net asset value slipped from its September level and shareholders await a 5.42p Dividend due on 20 November.

What happened

Aberdeen Asian Income Fund (LSE:AAIF) said non-executive director Nicky McCabe bought shares at £2.89 each on the London Stock Exchange on 23 October. A replacement notice corrected the volume, stating it "should read 3,453 and not 3,543". Her holding after the deal stood at 8,574 shares.

Two further dealing notices were also listed on 26 October, besides the original and corrected McCabe notices. This article relies only on the corrected notice, as the others were not reviewed. A single director's purchase says little on its own about the outlook, and the notice gives no reason for the trade.

The trust is a constituent of the FTSE All-Share index and sits in the Investment trust sector, focused on Asian income.

The dividend and the NAV

The third Interim Dividend of 5.42p was declared on 14 October. AJ Bell's data shows the shares went ex-dividend on 22 October, with payment due on 20 November 2026.

According to an AI-generated summary of that announcement on, the payment equals 1.5625% of the 347.12p NAV per share at 30 September. The same summary cited a share price of 323p on that date, an annualised Yield of 6.5%, and a share price total return of 28.4% for the nine months to 30 September.

Since then NAV has fallen noticeably. Figures for the close on 2 November show 311.98p including income and 308.52p excluding income, according to the summary of the 3 November NAV announcement. That is roughly 10% below the 30 September figure, though the summary does not state that figure's income basis, and the fall includes the 5.42p dividend going ex.

Why it matters for investors

For an income trust, the size of the payout relative to the share price is central, and it moves as the price moves. AJ Bell's page showed a yield of 6.85% on 2 November, above the 6.5% cited a month earlier, largely because the shares have fallen.

Debt also increases the effect of market moves on NAV. Indicative net gearing was 3.3% at the close on 30 October, according to a summary of the trust's gearing disclosure dated 2 November. In our view that is a modest level, so gearing alone is unlikely to explain the recent fall in NAV. The sources do not break the decline down.

Substantial shareholding notices were also published on 19 and 28 October, but their contents were not reviewed for this article.

How the shares have performed

AJ Bell showed a last trade of 294p on 2 November, up 2p or 0.69% on the day, with bid and offer prices of 290p and 294p. The shares have ranged from 246p to 357p over 52 weeks, and Market Capitalisation was £412.33m.

The page listed a latest actual NAV of 316.11p, dated 29 October, and an estimated NAV of 311.59p. That gives a discount of 7.57%, close to the 12-month average of 7.14%.

What to watch next

The next dated event is the 20 November dividend payment. Investors may then look for a fourth interim dividend announcement, since the summary refers to a financial year running from January, with nine months reported at 30 September.

Daily NAV notices and gearing disclosures, which appear regularly on, will show whether the October fall in NAV continues or reverses. The trust also repurchased shares on 23 and 25 September, so any further buyback notices could indicate how the board views the discount.