Issue of Equity

SHARE ISSUE

BlackRock Income Strategies Trust plc

The Company announces that today it issued 200,000 new ordinary shares of 25p each for cash, at a price of 135.60 pence per share, a premium to the Company’s cum income net asset value with debt at market value, out of treasury.  The new ordinary shares will rank pari passu with the existing ordinary shares.

Following this issue of shares, the number of ordinary shares that the Company has in issue (excluding treasury shares) is 274,637,282.  The total number of voting rights of the Company is 274,637,282 and this figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in the Company, under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules.   Following this transaction, the Company now holds 16,475,000 shares in treasury.

Contact name for queries:

S Beynsberger - BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited
20 October 2015
Tel: [phone]