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PICTURE OF USA FLAG

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THE GABELLI
EQUITY TRUST INC.

ANNUAL REPORT
DECEMBER 31, 2002

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THE GABELLI
EQUITY TRUST INC.

Our cover icon represents the underpinnings of Gabelli. The Teton mountains in
Wyoming represent what we believe in in America -- that creativity, ingenuity,
hard work and a global uniqueness provide enduring values. They also stand out
in an increasingly complex, interconnected and interdependent economic world.

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PICTURE OF FLAGS

ALABAMA   ALASKA   ARIZONA   ARKANSAS   CALIFORNIA   COLORADO   CONNECTICUT
DELAWARE   FLORIDA   GEORGIA   HAWAII   IDAHO   ILLINOIS   INDIANA   IOWA
KANSAS   KENTUCKY   LOUISIANA   MAINE   MARYLAND   MASSACHUSETTS   MICHIGAN
MINNESOTA   MISSISSIPPI   MISSOURI   MONTANA   NEBRASKA   NEVADA   NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW JERSEY   NEW MEXICO    NEW YORK    N. CAROLINA    N. DAKOTA    OHIO
OKLAHOMA   OREGON   PENNSYLVANIA   RHODE ISLANDS   CAROLINA   S. DAKOTA
TENNESSEE   TEXAS   UTAH   VERMONT   VIRGINIA   WASHINGTON   WEST VIRGINIA
WISCONSIN   WYOMING

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE:

The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc. is a closed-end, non-diversified management
investment company whose primary objective is long-term growth of
capital, with income as a secondary objective.


                    THIS REPORT IS PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER.

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PICTURE OF MARIO GABELLI

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THE GABELLI
EQUITY TRUST INC.

TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS,

      In the  fourth  quarter  of 2002,  the  stock  market  enjoyed  its  first
sustained  rally of the year.  The Dow Jones  Industrial  Average  posted  eight
consecutive  weekly  gains and  closed the  quarter  with a 10.48%  return.  The
Standard & Poor's ("S&P") 500 Index and  technology-dominated  Nasdaq  Composite
Index also  finished  in the  black.  This was not nearly  enough,  however,  to
prevent a third  consecutive  year of  declines  for all of these  indices.  The
Gabelli  Equity Trust Inc. (the  "Trust") lost ground by falling  20.54% for the
year,  behind the Dow, which dropped  15.04%,  and finished ahead of the S&P 500
Index, which fell 22.09% during 2002.

COMMON STOCK 10% DISTRIBUTION POLICY

      The Trust  continues to maintain its 10%  Distribution  Policy whereby the
Trust pays out to common stock  shareholders  10% of its average net assets each
year. The Trust distributed $0.14 per share on December 24, 2002.

      Given the Fund's current net asset value,  the Board of Directors  intends
to review the appropriate  level of future  quarterly  payments.  As a result of
this review,  subsequent  interim  quarterly  distributions may be less than the
current  $0.27  per  share  level in an  effort  to  provide  our  common  stock
shareholders consistent  distributions  throughout each year pursuant to our 10%
Distribution Policy. Each  quarter, the Board of Directors reviews the amount of
any  potential  distribution  based on the  income,  capital  gains  or  capital
available.

      Under the policy,  distributions are made at the annual rate of 10% of the
average of the calendar  quarter-end  net assets of the Trust's  common stock at
December and March,  June, and September.  The Trust distributed $0.27 per share
to common stock  shareholders  at quarter-end  in March,  June, and September of
2002. The fourth quarter  distribution is a variable  adjusting  distribution in
December.  The adjusting distribution is the greater of the remaining portion of
10% of the average net assets to be  distributed  (10% of the average net assets
less the  cumulative  $0.81  per  share  ($0.27 x 3) paid in  March,  June,  and
September) or the distribution required by IRS regulations.

      As of  December  2002,  there  was no  requirement  for a  fourth  quarter
distribution to common stock shareholders. 10% of the Trust's average net assets
using calendar  quarter-end  net assets of the Trust's common stock for the past
four quarters  equates to $0.78 per share.  The  distribution of $0.27 per share
paid in September  brought the total  distribution  for 2002 to $0.81 per share,
thus  satisfying  the Trust's  10%  Distribution  Policy for 2002.  The Board of
Directors  declared a $0.14 per share cash  distribution  to provide  our common
stock shareholders with consistent distributions throughout the year even though
the policy had been  satisfied.  The Board also  declared a $0.27 per share cash
distribution  to be paid in March 2003 to affirm its  intention  to maintain the
10% Distribution Policy.

COMPARATIVE RESULTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              AVERAGE ANNUAL RETURNS THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2002 (A)
              ----------------------------------------------------


                                                                SINCE
                                                QUARTER      INCEPTION (B)   10 YEAR     5 YEAR      3 YEAR       1 YEAR
                                                -------      -------------   -------     ------      ------       ------
                                                                                                
  Gabelli Equity Trust NAV Return (c) .......... 10.84%          10.06%       8.27%       0.96%       (9.61)%     (20.54)%
  Gabelli Equity Trust Investment Return (d) ... (1.14)%         10.20%       9.38%       2.17%       (6.96)%     (28.36)%

  S&P 500 Index ................................  8.43%          10.69%       9.34%      (0.58)%     (14.54)%     (22.09)%
  Dow Jones Industrial Average ................. 10.48%          12.49%      12.05%       2.87%       (8.51)%     (15.04)%
  Nasdaq Composite Index ....................... 13.95%           7.97%       7.03%      (3.19)%     (31.02)%     (31.53)%

(a) Returns  represent past  performance  and do not guarantee  future  results.
    Investment  returns and the principal value of an investment will fluctuate.
    When  shares are sold,  they may be worth  more or less than their  original
    cost.  The Dow Jones  Industrial  Average is an unmanaged  index of 30 large
    industrial  stocks.  The  S&P  500  and the  Nasdaq  Composite  Indices  are
    unmanaged  indicators of stock market performance.  Dividends are considered
    reinvested (except for the Nasdaq Composite Index).  Performance for periods
    less than one year are not annualized.

(b) From commencement of investment operations on August 21, 1986.

(c) Total returns and average annual returns  reflect changes in net asset value
    ("NAV"),  reinvestment  of  distributions  at NAV on the  ex-dividend  date,
    adjustments for rights offerings,  spin-offs and taxes paid on undistributed
    long-term  capital gains,  and are net of expenses.  Since Inception  return
    based on initial net asset value of $9.34.

(d) Total returns and average annual returns  reflect  changes in closing market
    values  on the New  York  Stock  Exchange,  reinvestment  of  distributions,
    adjustments for rights offerings,  spin-offs and taxes paid on undistributed
    long-term capital gains. Since Inception return based on an initial offering
    price of $10.00.

PREMIUM / DISCOUNT DISCUSSION

      As a refresher to our shareholders,  the price of a closed-end mutual fund
is  determined in the open market by willing  buyers and sellers.  Shares of the
Trust trade on the New York Stock Exchange and may trade at a premium to (higher
than) net asset  value  ("NAV")  (the  market  value of the  Trust's  underlying
portfolio)  or  a  discount  to  (lower  than)  net  asset  value.  Of  the  545
publicly-traded  closed-end funds in the U.S., approximately 23% currently trade
at premiums to NAV versus 32% five years ago and 49% ten years ago.  For general
equity funds such as the Trust, approximately 13% currently trade at premiums to
NAV versus 30% five years ago and 38% ten years ago.

      Ideally,  the  Trust's  market  price will  generally  track the NAV.  The
Trust's  premium or  discount  to NAV  fluctuates  over time.  Over our  Trust's
16-year  history,  the range fluctuated from a 38% premium in June 2002 to a 27%
discount in December  1987.  The average  variance  from NAV for the Trust since
inception is a 0.4% discount to NAV.  Beginning in early 2001,  the market price
of the Trust exceeded the NAV and this premium gradually  increased through June
2002.  The Trust's  premium was 9.08% at year-end  2002.  The previous  extended
period in which a premium existed  occurred during a 20-month period from August
1993 to March 1995.

      "Mr.  Market" often provides  opportunities  to invest at a discount.  The
Trust has undertaken various initiatives to narrow the discount when appropriate
through distribution policies,  rights offerings,  share repurchase programs and
use of leverage.

      The Trust's long-term investment goal is to generate a real rate of return
of 10%.  We believe  that our stock  selection  process  adds to the  investment
equation.  We have a successful  history of  investment  providing  shareholders
average  annual  returns of 10% since  inception.  However,  it is  important to
remember  that "Mr.  Market" is a pendulum  that swings both ways. As the market
moves  away from  momentum  investing  and back to basics,  we  believe  that an
excessive premium for the Trust is not likely to be sustainable.


                        PREMIUM/DISCOUNT SINCE INCEPTION

                               DECEMBER 31, 2002
                               -----------------
                       Net Asset Value                $6.28
                       Market Price                   $6.85
                       Premium                        9.08%

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                               PLOT POINTS FOLLOW:

9/30/86                                           0.0067
10/31/86                                          0.0046
11/30/86                                         -0.0390
12/31/86                                         -0.0661
1/31/87                                          -0.1363
2/28/87                                          -0.1323
3/31/87                                          -0.1555
4/30/87                                          -0.1393
5/31/87                                          -0.1788
6/30/87                                          -0.2028
7/31/87                                          -0.2000
8/31/87                                          -0.2052
9/30/87                                          -0.2128
10/31/87                                         -0.2074
11/30/87                                         -0.2154
12/31/87                                         -0.2061
1/31/88                                          -0.2235
2/29/88                                          -0.1145
3/31/88                                          -0.1523
4/30/88                                          -0.1477
5/31/88                                          -0.1906
6/30/88                                          -0.0819
7/31/88                                          -0.0984
8/31/88                                          -0.0942
9/30/88                                          -0.1097
10/31/88                                         -0.1256
11/30/88                                         -0.1104
12/31/88                                         -0.1113
1/31/89                                          -0.1214
2/28/89                                          -0.1108
3/31/89                                          -0.1006
4/30/89                                          -0.0925
5/31/89                                          -0.0699
6/30/89                                          -0.0468
7/31/89                                          -0.0854
8/31/89                                          -0.0243
9/30/89                                          -0.0385
10/31/89                                         -0.0257
11/30/89                                         -0.0217
12/31/89                                          0.0076
1/31/90                                           0.0534
2/28/90                                          -0.0156
3/31/90                                           0.0242
4/30/90                                           0.0033
5/31/90                                          -0.0056
6/30/90                                          -0.0049
7/31/90                                          -0.0176
8/31/90                                          -0.0180
9/30/90                                          -0.0348
10/31/90                                         -0.1187
11/30/90                                         -0.0327
12/31/90                                          0.0290
1/31/91                                          -0.0091
2/28/91                                           0.0269
3/31/91                                           0.0150
4/30/91                                          -0.0257
5/31/91                                          -0.0100
6/30/91                                           0.0138
7/31/91                                          -0.0032
8/31/91                                          -0.0009
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11/30/91                                         -0.1014
12/31/91                                         -0.0366
1/31/92                                          -0.0077
2/29/92                                           0.0141
3/31/92                                           0.0045
4/30/92                                           0.0069
5/31/92                                           0.0092
6/30/92                                           0.0032
7/31/92                                           0.0165
8/31/92                                           0.0309
9/30/92                                           0.0427
10/31/92                                         -0.0068
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12/31/92                                         -0.0257
1/31/93                                          -0.0312
2/28/93                                          -0.0046
3/31/93                                           0.0265
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5/31/93                                           0.0120
6/30/93                                          -0.0207
7/31/93                                          -0.0093
8/31/93                                          -0.0358
9/30/93                                           0.0088
10/31/93                                          0.0601
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1/31/94                                           0.0797
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3/31/94                                           0.0733
4/30/94                                          -0.0270
5/31/94                                           0.0524
6/30/94                                           0.0542
7/31/94                                           0.0233
8/31/94                                           0.0597
9/30/94                                           0.0185
10/31/94                                          0.0375
11/30/94                                          0.0622
12/31/94                                          0.0121
1/31/95                                           0.0047
2/28/95                                           0.0300
3/31/95                                           0.0170
4/30/95                                          -0.0122
5/31/95                                          -0.0240
6/30/95                                          -0.0081
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8/31/95                                          -0.0697
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8/31/97                                          -0.0676
9/30/97                                          -0.0397
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1/31/98                                           0.0119
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3/31/98                                          -0.0220
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9/30/99                                           0.0126
10/31/99                                         -0.0045
11/30/99                                         -0.0178
12/31/99                                         -0.0147
1/31/00                                          -0.0331
2/29/00                                          -0.0835
3/31/00                                          -0.0438
4/30/00                                          -0.0780
5/31/00                                          -0.0460
6/30/00                                           0.0097
7/31/00                                          -0.0093
8/31/00                                           0.0073
9/30/00                                          -0.0179
10/31/00                                         -0.0298
11/30/00                                          0.0332
12/31/00                                          0.0493
1/31/01                                          -0.0450
2/28/01                                          -0.0067
3/31/01                                           0.1048
4/30/01                                           0.0937
5/31/01                                           0.1453
6/30/01                                           0.1596
7/31/01                                           0.1107
8/31/01                                           0.1614
9/30/01                                           0.2041
10/31/01                                          0.2241
11/30/01                                          0.2314
12/31/01                                          0.2029
1/31/02                                           0.2497
2/28/02                                           0.2463
3/30/02                                           0.2311
4/30/02                                           0.2480
5/30/02                                           0.2955
6/30/02                                           0.3215
7/31/02                                           0.3318
8/31/02                                           0.3392
9/30/02                                           0.2193
10/31/02                                          0.1400
11/30/02                                          0.1800
12/31/02                                          0.0800

                                       2

COMMENTARY

THE YEAR IN REVIEW -- A CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE

      The economy roared out of the recession with a 5.8% Gross Domestic Product
("GDP")  gain  in  the  first  quarter  of  2002.   What  followed  was  a  year
characterized  by scandals:  Enron -- the biggest  bankruptcy in history  (later
trumped by  WorldCom);  the  uncovering of  accounting  scandals,  the demise of
Arthur  Andersen,  as well as New York State  Attorney  General Eliot  Spitzer's
attempts to eliminate the conflicts of interest  between banking and research by
aggressively  pursuing the large investment houses and the Grubmans and Blodgets
of the world. While on the subject, let us not forget Tyco's Kozlowski's alleged
personal  tax  avoidance  schemes or the  travails of Martha  Stewart's  alleged
insider  trading in ImClone stock.  These traumas weighed heavily on the overall
market.  Anxiety  about the vitality of our capital  system spread to Securities
and Exchange  Commission  ("SEC") Chairman Harvey Pitt who was eventually forced
to resign  because of his support of William  Webster,  who then also elected to
withdraw his nomination.

      These  announcements  spooked investors.  They surfaced during a period of
stalled  earnings.  In the same  manner that the stock  market  boom  encouraged
optimism about the boundless  opportunities  for earnings and sales growth,  any
hint of wrongdoing was an excuse to ratchet down positive forecasts.

A RECOVERY WITHOUT RESPECT

      The loss of investor  confidence  was at odds with the  economic  recovery
that  reflected a solid,  if  frustratingly  slow,  path to  recovery.  Consumer
spending and confidence continued to hold up well. Individuals took advantage of
low  interest  rates to buy or  refinance  their  homes and to  purchase  autos.
Beginning with the surprise 50 basis point rate cut in January of 2001,  Federal
Reserve Board ("Fed")  Chairman Alan  Greenspan made plain his intention to help
the consumer  sustain the economy until capital  spending could resume to fuel a
more lasting  recovery.  Today, we are more optimistic that capital  spending --
this second leg of the recovery -- will resume in 2003.

      The excess  capacity and equipment  that was built under the boom scenario
is now  getting  rationalized  out.  This has been -- and  continues  to be -- a
wrenching period for the economy, particularly for the companies (and investors)
in  telecommunications,  media and utilities industries.  However,  Schumpeter's
"creative  destruction"  is a  requisite  evil  in  capitalism  to  wind up with
stronger companies that can compete well,  maintain market share and produce new
goods and  services.  At the same  time,  it gives us  renewed  respect  for the
self-regulating nature of the U.S. capital markets, and reminds us why it is the
model for the world.  Ultimately we believe that solid  companies in the telecom
industry  such as Nextel,  Telephone  and Data  Systems and AT&T  Wireless  will
emerge with broader opportunities.

POSITIVES: DE-REGULATION, DEALS, AND QUALITY OF EARNINGS

      The Federal  Communications  Commission  ("FCC") is preparing to phase out
rules that require the former  "Baby Bells" to rent their  networks to rivals at
low mandated  prices,  thereby  subsidizing  competition.  FCC Chairman  Michael
Powell believes that real competition can only come from those who own their own
networks.  He also is committed to ensuring  that  surviving  telecommunications
carriers  will have the ability to generate good returns and cash flow to invest
in new  services.  One goal of the Bush  Administration  and Powell's FCC is the
proliferation  of broadband.  As the next economic  cycle  develops,  demand for
telephony  will  again grow at a  multiple  of GDP,  as it had for the prior two
decades.

      Elsewhere,  the  limitations  on cross  ownership  of media assets will be
lifted or  eliminated.  Merger and  acquisition  activity will resume along with
capital  spending  once  companies  begin to believe  they are in a position  of
strength,  and that  spending is necessary to grow and compete.  The  government
must encourage research and development to spur capital spending in conductivity
and  connectivity.  As was the case at  Vivendi,  where  management  is  putting
Cegetel and SFR together, one favorable outcome is that the slowdown in wireless
and wireline will end up energizing transactions. In the utilities industry, the
1992 Utilities Act  encouraged  the  unbundling of generation  and  transmission
lines.  While this  eventually  led to the abuses at Enron,  the Act creates the
framework for transactions to occur.

                                       3

      Clearly, WorldCom and Adelphia created an air pocket for valuations.  They
also  presented a delay in the catalyst  for change.  We do feel that the signal
lights go from yellow to green in the spring of 2003.  More TV  stations  owners
will consolidate.  A result of some of the recent mergers -- for example, Nestle
buying  Ralston  -- is that a slew of new  product  introductions  will  require
awareness.  Bottom  line,  we  anticipate a very good  advertising  market going
forward. In the interim, we add  opportunistically to the portfolio when we find
distressed names such as Disney and Vivendi to buy.

      In the mid-70's,  we originated and focused a valuation  methodology based
on Private  Market  Value  ("PMV").  The  baseline  was at what  price  would an
industrialist  be willing to pay for the assets of a given  company and why? The
next level  below the PMV of a company is the price  leveraged  buy-out  ("LBO")
groups will pay, slightly less than a synergistic corporate buyer because of the
lack of ability to eliminate  redundancy.  The prices of small  companies do not
have any room to go down.  Indeed,  managements want to own and families want to
sell.  Unfortunately,  as was the case in 1992, you cannot get financing.  Banks
are not lending.  Whereas years ago, banks would lend at six times,  today banks
are absent from the equation at two times cash flow,  while stocks trade at five
times cash flow. The result is that the next part of the  consolidation  process
will be by the corporate buyer -- for example,  HSBC acquiring Household.  There
are also a number of green lights including Financial Accounting Standards Board
("FASB") 142 in accounting that create an incredible stimulus for transactions.

      While the stock market still has the  overhang of the  potential  war with
Iraq,  and the burden of higher oil  prices,  there are some bright  spots.  One
silver  lining in the aftermath of  accounting  fraud and corporate  scandals is
increased  transparency and higher quality in earnings and cash flow.  Corporate
America has been tagged with quality of earning  concerns  and has  responded by
promising  to include  more  detailed  information  about  profitability  in the
future.  Companies  that  used to  smooth  quarterly  earnings  with  accounting
contrivances  are pressured to take a more  conservative  approach to reporting.
This  overdue  clarity  and  transparency  will  be  good  for  investors.   The
Sarbanes-Oxley  Act,  requiring  chief  executives to  personally  certify their
financial  statements,   will  work  to  focus  managements'  attention  on  the
connection  between their job to create wealth for shareholders and the need for
shareholders to understand what management is doing.

ECONOMIC STIMULUS

      Our  national  priority  is to get the economy  stimulated.  From a fiscal
policy  standpoint,  the  end  goal  for  this  Administration  is to  get  Bush
re-elected.  In order to do this,  the economy must start to improve by year-end
2003.  Forty-three has learned from Forty-one.  The  Administration and Congress
have proposed plans to stimulate growth.  While not yet in final form, the plans
include  accelerating  income  tax rates  that  were  approved  two  years  ago,
extending  unemployment  benefits,  providing  rebate  checks  to  middle  class
parents,  eliminating the tax on dividends for  individuals,  a tax incentive to
spur capital investment by small and medium size businesses,  and an increase in
spending  on  infrastructure.  There are a number of  silver  bullets  that will
result in giving the consumer money to spend which should stimulate the economy.
The trial balloons  launched in December  resulted in more aggressive  proposals
for stimulus from the President's economic package. By addressing the taxability
of  dividends,  it has helped the  psychology  of the market.  In addition,  the
acceleration  in the  timing of the  earlier  tax cuts and  perhaps a holiday in
social security tax should encourage consumers to increase spending.

      From a  business  standpoint,  we  need to jump  start  capital  spending.
Investment tax credits and the  elimination of double  taxation of dividends are
powerful tools that will hopefully be approved.  Meanwhile,  the overriding drag
on the economy is the price of oil. A price of $25 or more per barrel presents a
challenge to consumption.  Until action is taken to reduce consumption and alter
habits, the high price of oil is like a pickpocket in Times Square, stealing the
opportunity from consumers and businesses to reinvigorate the economy.

GROWTH OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

      We expect better growth in Europe and its time may finally be coming.  The
European  Central Bank ("ECB") made an unexpected 50 basis point cut in interest
rates just at  year-end.  This was  accompanied  by  remarks  that the ECB would
reassess  the  emphasis  placed  upon  fighting  inflation  and  would  at least
acknowledge  the need for growth.  Our holdings in companies with large European
exposure such as Modine and Heinz will benefit from a stronger economy overseas.

                                       4

BARRON'S 2003 ROUNDTABLE

      Mario  Gabelli,   our  Chief  Investment  Officer,  has  appeared  in  the
prestigious  BARRON'S  Roundtable  discussion  annually since 1980.  Many of our
readers have enjoyed the inclusion of selected and edited comments from BARRON'S
Roundtable  in  previous  reports  to  shareholders.  As is our  custom,  we are
including selected comments of Mario Gabelli from BARRON'S 2003 Roundtable.

                      -------------------------------------
                                    BARRON'S
                                   ROUNDTABLE
                                  MARIO GABELLI
                      CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
                          GABELLI ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.
                      -------------------------------------
                       (THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN EXCERPTED:)

                                  On the Money

             FOUR SAVVY INVESTORS, LOTS OF STOCKS AND ONE GOLD RULE
                              By LAUREN B. RUBLIN

DID SOMEONE SAY "THEME PARTY"? Naw, we didn't serve fondue, or dance to the hits
of the  'Fifties,  or come  dressed  as -- perish the  thought  -- our  favorite
hot-shot investors. Instead, we invited some of Wall Street's best and brightest
to bring their  favorite  themes --  investment  only,  of course -- to the 35th
annual BARRON'S Roundtable, which convened Jan. 6 in lower Manhattan.

It was quite a party.  The worldly Marc Faber brought  plenty of doom and gloom,
along with animated talk of a boom -- in Asia's  emerging  markets.  Abby Joseph
Cohen, the  scholar-in-residence at Goldman Sachs, brought a flawless memory for
economic facts and financial  figures,  and a keen  interpretation  of same. And
Mario Gabelli,  sharp as ever, probably brought dozens of stock picks, as usual,
but was kind enough to leave a few in the coatroom.  After all, we had only nine
hours,  on that  wintry  day,  to grill and drill this  loquacious,  provocative
crowd.

BARRON'S:  ALREADY,  THIS NEW YEAR IS SHAPING UP  DIFFERENTLY.  THE PRESIDENT IS
PROPOSING  A BIG  TAX-CUT  PACKAGE,  AND WE ARE  LIKELY TO GO TO WAR WITH  IRAQ,
PROBABLY  EARLY NEXT MONTH.  MARIO,  WILL IRAQ MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE ECONOMY,
ASIDE FROM THE OBVIOUS -- OIL PRICES?

GABELLI: Oil is like a pickpocket in Times Square. As it goes over $30 a barrel,
it robs my pocket.  I am concerned  about the  unintended  consequences  of war.
Somebody gets on an airplane with smallpox.  We have another anthrax attack.  Do
the Iraqis  dump  scuds on Tel Aviv in a  scorched-earth  move as they're  being
taken out? Yet, I say it's worth the risk,  because when I was growing up in the
1940s and '50s,  I remember  hearing  about  Prague.  "Let them [the Nazis] have
Prague."
                                        5

Q: WE GAVE THEM PRAGUE.

GABELLI:  Right. And then we had another seven years.  There is an air pocket in
the economy right now. You basically  come in with massive  fiscal  stimulation.
You are either in Baghdad or you're out after six weeks.  If you're out, and oil
doesn't go up to $50 and stay there but comes back down to $25 or less a barrel,
then this president has done everything, will do everything to get re-elected in
2004. As a result,  we're going to have an  extraordinarily  good economy in the
fourth  quarter of 2003 and the first half of 2004,  and the market  will follow
suit.

Q: WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON INTEREST RATES, MARIO?

GABELLI: If oil falls to the low $20s, consumers around the world will be helped
dramatically.  The  stimulation  package is going to happen,  too. Strong demand
from the absence of the energy  pickpocket will drive rates materially higher by
the end of the year. The 10-year note will yield more than 5%.

BIGGS:  I'm with  Mario.  I think the 10-year  Treasury  will yield over 5%. The
central banks of the world clearly have said they are committed to reflation.

GABELLI: If we get a 50% reduction in taxes on dividends,  it's going to have an
impact on municipal bonds. [Tuesday, as part of a $674 billion economic-stimulus
plan,  President  Bush  called  for the  elimination  of all taxes on  corporate
dividends.]  Finally,  interest-rate  spreads will improve  dramatically between
government and high-yield bonds as the economy starts to improve.

Q: OF COURSE,  ELIMINATING TAXES ON DIVIDENDS IS BAD FOR THE STATES, AS IT COULD
RAISE THEIR  BORROWING  COSTS WHILE  LOWERING THEIR  REVENUES.  AND IT'S BAD FOR
REAL-ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS.

GABELLI: Rain is bad for the parade and great for the farmer. There are a lot of
trade-offs.  There's a good  opportunity here to make money on the short side in
munis.

Q: MARIO, CARE TO PREDICT THE MARKET?

GABELLI:  Because  the  president  will  do  all  in his  power  to get  himself
re-elected,  we are going to have a very good economy in the spring of 2004. Oil
will be under $25,  and we will be  reflating  the world.  The market will be up
10%, with lots of volatility.  However,  if oil unexpectedly  hits the $40s, the
Dow will fall to  6000-6500.  But it will  bounce  back,  because $40 oil is not
sustainable in the short run.

On a long-term basis I see a '68-'81 kind of environment, where the market moves
sideways.  Earnings  grow 6% a year and  price-earnings  multiples get bumped by
higher rates. The year will be  characterized  by the chase for dividends.  It's
also a year in which deals come back. HSBC's deal to buy Household International
was a wake-up call. The leveraged buyout firms haven't been able to tap the debt
market,  and that's  starting to loosen up.  Large  companies  want to grow.  In
addition to the fiscal  stimulus,  specific sectors will benefit from changes in
regulatory dynamics. For example, the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] is
going to reform the telecom act, and there will be reforms in media, utility and
energy regulations. Even more interesting,  we're going to have tort reform. All
these things will create an  extraordinarily  fertile  environment for corporate
love-making.

Along similar lines,  the FCC announced today that it is going to re-examine the
telecom industry in a way that would favor facilities-based companies -- namely,
the Baby Bells.  [Under the FCC's plan, now in draft form,  competitors  such as
long-distance  providers  eventually would lose their  discounted  access to the
Bells' network switches.] This is a big boon to Verizon,  SBC Communications and
the rest. So, if you want to compete in local service, you'll have to build your
own facilities.

SAMBERG:  What  Mario is saying is that  after the  government  set the  telecom
monster loose and let it screw up the economy, after it has killed itself on its
own,  the  government  is going to jump on the  corpse  and trash it some  more.
Terrific. That's a great investment theme.

GABELLI: What I'm saying is, the Verizons of the world will do better. They will
begin to spend money on Cisco and Lucent and R&D.

BARRON'S: MARIO, WHAT STOCKS HAVE YOU BROUGHT US?

GABELLI: First, I want to talk about old age, dividends and inflation. There are
approximately 200 million vehicles on the road in the United States. The average
age of a passenger  car is 9.3 years,  up from 8.1 years at the beginning of the
1990s.  Light trucks are getting older, too. When I was growing up in the Bronx,
a car lasted  for 50,000  miles.  Fifteen  or 20 years ago,  it lasted  100,000.
Today, a new car will last 170,000 miles. In addition, years ago you used to get
a two- or three-year  warranty.  Now, it's five years.  So cars between five and
nine years old are the sweet spot for parts consumption.  Between 1996 and 2001,
cars in the sweet spot  declined  2.2%,  to 61 million  units.  In the next five
years, they are going to grow 15%, to 70 million.  This is good news for GENUINE
PARTS.

Q: WE WONDERED WHERE YOU WERE GOING WITH THIS.

GABELLI: The stock sells for 31.50 or so. The company pays a dividend of $1.16 a
share,  and  dividends  have grown for the past 30 years.  The current  yield is
around 4%. The payout ratio is about 50%. The balance sheet is terrific. Debt is
about $775  million.  Earnings for 2002 probably will be a bit more than $2.10 a
share,  rising to $2.30 in 2003 and  around  $2.50 in 2004.  Revenues  will grow
4%-5% and earnings about 7.5%-8%. Genuine Parts is a purveyor of expendable auto
components.  The company is a leader in its market. If inflation picks up, parts
prices will rise, and its growth will rise more.

                                        6

Q: WHERE IS THE STOCK HEADED?

GABELLI: If you can find 8%-10% growers with good balance sheets and predictable
earnings visibility, even with some quarterly earnings hiccups, a multiple of 20
times  earnings  isn't  far-fetched.  You could be  looking  at a $50 stock in a
couple of years. Plus, you get the dividend.

NEFF:  There is some evidence that Detroit is building a better car.  Would that
change the sweet spot any?

GABELLI: That's why the sweet spot moved from two to five years to six to 10.

BLACK:  I owned Genuine Parts,  but we sold it around 35 a share.  The company's
growing the top line by only 3%-4%. Formerly, it had been an 8%-9% grower.

GABELLI:  We expect  auto-parts  sales to grow by 5% a year -- and  that's  with
inflation of 1% -- over the next five years.

Now, to reiterate my view of the world, we're in a soft economy, but we'll get a
bunch of fiscal  stimulation  in the form of tax cuts for the  consumer  and the
business  person,  as well as something for the investor.  We worry about higher
oil prices acting like a pickpocket in Times Square. If the price of crude falls
to under $25 a barrel, the world will reflate.  Regulatory obstacles to business
will be  re-examined  in  2003.  No.  1, the  Telecommunications  Act of 1996 is
re-examined.  The opening salvo was launched today by the Federal Communications
Commission,  echoing a commitment  made by [FCC Chairman  Michael] Powell in the
fall. The FCC is going to revisit the concept of unbundled networks, which would
help the  regional  Bell  companies  by  allowing  only  full,  facilities-based
competitors  to enter the market.  In the utilities  area, the 1992 amendment to
the PUHCA, or Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935,  which created all the
opportunities for investment bankers to blow smoke up the portals of the utility
companies, is going to be re-examined.

Q: HOW WILL THE ENERGY-TRADING SCANDALS AFFECT THE INDUSTRY?

GABELLI:  Companies  are  going  back to  basics.  They're  going to return to a
regulated  monopoly business where they can earn 11%. But utility  regulation is
going to change. Institutions will be allowed to own more than 10% of the shares
of any one utility.  Then we're going to have an energy  policy that will enable
us to  address  the  world of $90 oil that  Marc  commented  on.  [In the  first
installment of the Roundtable,  Faber  prophesied oil would hit $60-$90 a barrel
in the next 10-15  years,  as demand from Asia  surges.]  We're going to produce
more, conserve more and find alternatives such as fuel cells and wind power.

Q: THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF THAT HERE TODAY.

GABELLI:  We're also going to re-examine  tort reform.  And I want to talk about
deals,  deals and more deals.  In the past year or two,  acquisitions  have been
limited,  because  companies were concerned about being labeled serial acquirers
like Tyco and WorldCom. HSBC's acquisition of Household International sounds the
gong for a new wave of deals.  This should  benefit lots of my companies.  Let's
turn to your TV set.  Advertiser-supported  media is  going to do quite  well in
2003.  And  in  2004  we'll  have  the  Olympics,   the  election  and  economic
stimulation.

I'm recommending the  small-television-station  owners, because the FCC is going
to change  several rules.  They're going to raise the ownership  cap,  making it
possible for a given operator to own perhaps 50% of total households, versus the
current 35%, at a given time. They will permit duopoly in small markets, meaning
an operator will be able to own two TV stations.  Third,  they'll  probably come
out with a better ruling on whether cable operators must carry digital  signals.
Finally, television-station operators are finding new sources of revenues.

Q: WHICH STATION OWNERS DO YOU LIKE?

GABELLI:  The first has done a pretty good job of damaging  shareholder  values.
It's YOUNG BROADCASTING, YBTVA. It closed Friday at 13 a share. It has an equity
market  capitalization of approximately  $260 million and net debt of about $600
million,  for an enterprise value of $860 million.  Young made an acquisition in
San Francisco,  taking a TV station away from NBC. Bob Wright  [chairman of NBC]
didn't  forgive  them, so he changed  NBC's  affiliation.  Young paid about $750
million-$800  million for the station,  and should sell it for $300 million-$400
million -- take a huge loss, sell it to NBC and apologize.  That could drive the
stock from 12 to 40. Right now Young has 11 television  stations,  reaching 6.1%
of TV households -- six ABC affiliates,  three CBS affiliates, one NBC affiliate
and an  independent in San Francisco,  KRON. If you took the  broadcasting  cash
flow of all of these stations except San Francisco, and applied it to all of the
company's debt, you'd get the San Francisco station for free.

Q: WHAT'S YOUR NEXT PICK?

GABELLI:  LIBERTY,  not  LIBERTY  MEDIA,  which  I'll  talk  about in a  minute.
Liberty's  symbol is LC. The stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange for 39,
and there are 19.8 million shares outstanding.  The company's got a $770 million
market  value,  $60 million of cash,  and $50 million of other  assets which are
being converted to cash. Thus, you're really paying $660 million. Liberty has 15
affiliated television stations.  The company has not done a good job of managing
shareholders'  money,  but they're  generating  significant cash flow. They will
generate a couple of hundred  million dollars over the next three or four years.
Earnings  will  climb  from  $1.60 a share in 2002 to $2 to $3.  The  company is
controlled by the Hipp family in South Carolina.

                                        7

          Mario GABELLI'S PICKS

COMPANY             SYMBOL     1/6/03 PRICE
-----------------------------------------
GENUINE PARTS         GPC         $31.88
-----------------------------------------
YOUNG BROADCASTING    YBTVA        13.55
-----------------------------------------
LIBERTY CORP          LC           39.31
-----------------------------------------
TRIBUNE               TRB          47.79
-----------------------------------------
DQE                   DQE          16.50
-----------------------------------------
WESTAR ENERGY         WR           10.26
-----------------------------------------
VERIZON COMM          VZ           44.07
-----------------------------------------
DEL MONTE FOODS       DLM           7.85
-----------------------------------------
CAMPBELL SOUP         CPB          24.21
-----------------------------------------
H.J. HEINZ            HNZ          33.91
-----------------------------------------
VIVENDI UNIVERSAL     V            18.22
-----------------------------------------
LIBERTY MEDIA         L             9.66
-----------------------------------------
AOL TIME WARNER       AOL          14.09
-----------------------------------------
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF LIBERTY MEDIA?

GABELLI:  Be patient.  Now, a kind word for TRIBUNE.  The stock is 47. There are
330 million shares  outstanding.  Earnings of $2.20 a share are going to $3.50 a
share. Dennis FitzSimons [the current CEO] is going to succeed John Madigan.

Among  utilities,  I like  DQE,  formerly  known as  Duquesne.  DQE has  586,000
electric  customers in the  Pittsburgh  area and a propane  business that serves
70,000  customers.  The company is shedding  assets.  It's  selling  most of its
water-utility  business to Philadelphia Suburban for $205 million. It's lowering
debt,  which will fall to $800  million in a couple of years from a current $1.3
billion.  Management  got  spooked by the  rating  agencies,  so the  investment
bankers convinced them to sell some stock. They sold 17 million shares last year
at $13.50 a share. We bought a basketful, and we're still nibbling.

Q: WHAT'S THE STOCK PRICE?

GABELLI:  Around 15.50.  The company cut its dividend in October,  to a dollar a
share.  As debt  gets  paid  down,  the  dividend  will  rise.  Plus,  this is a
consolidation play. Somebody will take them over.

NEFF: What's the P/E?

GABELLI:  DQE  probably  earned  $1.30 a share in 2002.  It was a hot  summer in
Pittsburgh,  so earnings may be flat in 2003, except for interest  expense.  The
stock trades for 12-13 times earnings.  At eight times Ebitda  [earnings  before
interest,  taxes,  depreciation  and  amortization] I could do an LBO [leveraged
buyout] of this company,  but that will not happen now. It might take a year and
a half to get a deal done. At that multiple, the stock is worth in the low $20s.

NEFF: Is this a 4%, 5%, 6% grower?

GABELLI:  Yes.  It's  best to buy an  index of  utility  stocks.  The  regulated
business will grow by 5%. Payout ratios will return to more historic levels, and
you could get a very good return on these stocks.

My next  stock,  WESTAR  ENERGY,  formerly  Western  Resources,  is not  without
controversy.  Its former CEO was  indicted.  The new CEO, Jim Haines,  is a good
chap. Westar, symbol WR, has 74 million shares outstanding. The stock trades for
10,  giving the company a market  value of $740  million.  It pays a dividend of
$1.20 a  share.  Westar  has  $3.6  billion  of debt,  but  Kansas's  regulatory
commission  has told the company to get that down to $1.8  billion.  The company
owns 45  million  shares  of  Oneok,  worth $1  billion.  Somehow,  they have to
monetize it. They own Protection One, a protection company, which they will also
sell or otherwise  deconsolidate.  I would then suggest to the chairman  that he
reduce the  dividend  to 60 cents,  but pay  shareholders  a 60-cent  stub.  The
company's  regulated  business has a book value of $16-$18 a share,  on which it
can earn 11%.  The  company can earn about $2 a share.  Two years from now,  you
could double your money and Westar will be merged with someone else.

Q: MARIO, HAVE YOU ACTUALLY SUGGESTED THIS?

GABELLI:  I haven't  talked to Mr.  Haines  at all.  He'll  read it when this is
published.  The company doesn't have a debt problem,  it has a cosmetic problem.
By cutting the dividend to 60 cents, you throw a bone to the regulators, much as
Con Edison did in New York in the 1970s.  The regulators  didn't like the former
CEO, but Haines is a former regulator and has credibility.

BLACK:  A lot of these electric  utilities  make about 13%-14% on book.  They're
leveraged roughly one-to-one on a debt-to-equity  basis.  They're making 6.5%-7%
on total capital,  but they've been  destroying  capital for years because their
returns are below a  normalized  cost of capital,  which is 8.5% or 9%. Maybe as
stocks  they go up,  but as an  industry  this is a lousy  play  and it has been
historically.

GABELLI:  I don't know what you are talking about. I think you can make a lot of
money in this area.  Once the PUHCA rules are amended,  guys like Warren Buffett
and I are going to put tons of money  into the  group.  And we're  going to earn
20%-25% on our investment. Look, there's weakness in utilities if inflation goes
to  6%-7%,  because  there's  a  lag  effect  for  adjusting  rates.  But  local
distribution is still a terrific business, whether it's electric or gas.

Next,  I've  got a  small-cap  stock:  VERIZON  COMMUNICATIONS.  It has only 2.7
billion  shares,  and  trades  for  40.50.  However,  the stock will be up today
[indeed,  Verizon  closed up 3.62,  to 44.07 on Jan.  6,  although  it has since
backtracked].  The FCC has just  proposed  changes  that  will  help  the  RBOCs
[regional Bell operating  companies].  The  competition  that was fueled by Wall
Street's  greed is dying,  and the Bells are going to get stronger.  Verizon can
earn about  $2.80 a share this year.  It will  probably  grow by 6%-7%,  maybe a
little  faster.  The  stock  yields  about  3.75%  and  sells  below  the  S&P's
price/earnings  multiple. I could also make the same case for SBC Communications
and BellSouth, but Verizon's enough for now.

                                        8

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:  THAT'S RESTRAINT.

GABELLI:  Barton  talked about the  attractiveness  of consumer  staples.  [Last
week's  Roundtable  installment  featured  Barton Biggs' stock picks,  including
Kraft Foods,  PepsiCo,  Coca-Cola  and  Colgate-Palmolive.]  I've got three more
names. DEL MONTE FOODS sells for 8. There are 210 million shares outstanding. So
that's $1.6 billion in market value.  The company has $1.8 billion of debt.  Del
Monte is a  producer  of  consumables  such as pet foods,  tuna and  vegetables.
Revenues  for the year ending  April 2004 will be about $3.4  billion.  Earnings
will be 80 to 90 cents.  The stock could trade for the same multiple as Ralcorp,
a producer of  non-branded  staples.  If that  happens,  it goes to 15-16 in two
years.

CAMPBELL SOUP is another potential winner.  The stock is 24, and the company has
a $10 billion market cap and $3.5 billion of debt.  They are getting  themselves
ready for a sale.

Q:  WHAT IS GOING TO TURN THIS COMPANY AROUND?

GABELLI: It's got better management,  better products.  It's moving into Europe.
The  chairman,  George  Sherman,  did a pretty  decent job in his  former  life,
running  Danaher.  Management is grooming  Campbell for a takeover,  which could
happen in the low 30s. We think it will happen a year from now.

BLACK:  The  company's  condensed  soups have been losing share for a long time.
This is a classic marketing problem.

GABELLI: It's a matter of execution.  This is a terrific category, with seven or
eight   companies.   There's   Unilever   and   Nestle   and   PepsiCo   in  the
$100-billion-market-cap  category.  There are a whole bunch of  companies in the
$10  billion-$20  billion  market.  There  is  another  round  of  consolidation
occurring. Campbell is on my list.

My next stock is ketchup -- any color, any flavor,  any price.  Yes, H.J. HEINZ.
The stock is 33, and the  symbol is HNZ.  Heinz has $4 billion of debt and a $15
billion  market cap. After the spinoff of its SKF  subsidiary,  which was merged
into a subsidiary  of Del Monte,  Heinz will have  earnings of about $2 a share.
That will grow by about 7%-8% a year, and cash flow is excellent. A good part of
Heinz's  business is in Europe,  where  earnings  will  benefit from a declining
dollar.

Q:  PLEASE TELL US ABOUT LIBERTY MEDIA.

GABELLI:  There will be a lot of acquisitions and financial  transactions in the
world of  entertainment.  Walt Disney and VIVENDI  UNIVERSAL are thinking  about
transactions.  I'll start with  Vivendi,  because it is the least  controversial
[general  laughter].  The  stock is around  17.  There  are 1.1  billion  shares
outstanding. We think the company is worth about 35 euros a share. We like their
strategy.  Vivendi has a very good business in wireless telecom in France.  They
could always pick up the phone and sell it to Vodafone.  Canal Plus, their cable
business  in  France  and  elsewhere  in  Europe,  is  wonderful.   There's  the
entertainment business in the United States, which is terrific, particularly the
sci-fi and cable-channel  networks.  Jean-Rene Fourtou, who succeeded Jean-Marie
Messier, is liquefying the company. We've been buying the stock.

Time for  Liberty  Media and John Malone [the  company's  chairman].  Here's the
math:  2.7 billion  shares  outstanding at 9 a share comes out to $25 billion in
market value.  Liberty is invested in other  companies whose stocks are going to
rise.  Plus,  it will  benefit  from more  merger  activity  and more  favorable
regulations. It's got a great collection of assets.

Q:  WHAT HAPPENED TO MALONE? HE USED TO BE A GOOD INVESTOR.

GABELLI:  Malone  made the  dumbest  investments  in the world.  He  invested in
telecoms and made a lot of mistakes,  but let's deal with the deck we have. It's
a pretty  interesting deck. Is he going to team up with Barry Diller to go after
Vivendi? Is he going to put QVC and Home Shopping Network together?  Is he going
to  do  something  with  Bob  Wright?  Will  he  be  in  the  forefront  of  the
re-engineering  of other companies?  Whatever the case, the stock is cheap at 9,
and gives you the equivalent of an active index fund in the  media/entertainment
area.

BLACK:  What does he do with the company's AOL holding?  [Liberty Media owns 170
million AOL Time Warner  shares.] I own Liberty as well,  and it's got a breakup
value of $14 a share,  conservatively speaking. But there's this huge holding in
AOL.

GABELLI: AOL is driven by AOL. If it were just Time Warner, the stock would sell
for a higher  price.  Those of us who owned Time  Warner  made a lot of money on
this deal [the  January 2001 merger of AOL and Time  Warner],  because our stock
got up to 90-100,  and we sold it. They  marked it up, and we moved it down.  We
started  buying it back  around 18 to 21, and the stock is around  11-12  today.
There are about 4.4 billion  shares,  times 12 a share,  which is $50 billion in
market  value.  It's got another $30  billion of debt,  so that's an  enterprise
value of $80 billion. Looking at their non-AOL businesses,  you get a value that
is higher than $80 billion.  Cash flow is very good.  The company is planning to
spin off Time Warner Cable.  They'll buy Cablevision.  You knew I would get that
in today! [Gabelli predicted at the 2002 Roundtable that Cablevision  eventually
would be sold.] The  question is, can they  revitalize  the company and maintain
AOL's  subscriber base? Can they continue to create new services that are unique
at AOL? Can they get cash flow from transactions?

SAMBERG: And the answer is?

GABELLI: I don't know. I was never one pushing the AOL model.

Q:   THANKS MARIO. []

                                       9

INVESTMENT SCORECARD

       In the fourth  quarter,  telecom  stocks  rallied  strongly,  with France
Telecom, Sprint PCS, Qwest and Broadwing making our top-ten performance list and
numerous other telecom holdings posting impressive gains. Media stocks including
Cablevision  Systems,  PRIMEDIA,  News Corp. and Young Broadcasting  posted good
gains.  Beaten up "growth to value"  stocks such as Xerox,  Hewlett  Packard and
Halliburton also performed quite well. Our biggest laggards were from a grab bag
of industry groups including defense (Northrop  Grumman),  consumer  electronics
(Hitachi) and manufacturing (GrafTech International).

      For the full year, our biggest winners also came from an eclectic group of
industries  including  publishing  (Media  General),   hotels  (Hilton  Hotels),
consumer services (Rollins), and aerospace/defense  (Fairchild).  Despite strong
fourth quarter performance,  telecommunications  stocks performed poorly for the
full year. In general,  our utilities stocks also  disappointed with Duke Energy
and El Paso retreating significantly.

LET'S TALK STOCKS

      The  following  are stock  specifics  on  selected  holdings of our Trust.
Favorable  earnings  prospects do not  necessarily  translate  into higher stock
prices,  but they do express a positive  trend that we believe will develop over
time.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. (BRK'A - $72,750 - NYSE) is Warren Buffett.  The company
has interests in insurance (notably GEICO and General Re), publishing, aviation,
retailing and manufacturing.  Its investment portfolio includes over $28 billion
of  marketable   equity   securities.   Berkshire  has  grown  rapidly   through
acquisitions over the past 15 years, including Kirby vacuum cleaners; World Book
encyclopedias;  H. H. Brown, Dexter and Justin footwear; Executive Jet aviation;
Dairy Queen  restaurants  and snack treats;  Johns Manville  building  products;
Benjamin Moore paints;  Shaw Industries  carpets;  MiTek steel connectors;  XTRA
transportation leasing; GEICO insurance; and General Re reinsurance.  GEICO, the
sixth  largest  auto  insurer in the U.S.,  contributes  17% of  revenues  while
General Re, the fourth largest reinsurer globally, contributes 23% of revenues.

GAYLORD  ENTERTAINMENT  CO.  (GET -  $20.60  - NYSE)  is a  diversified  company
operating  principally  in two segments:  hospitality  and media.  The company's
hospitality group consists of an interrelated group of businesses  including the
Opryland  Hotel  Nashville,  the  Inn  at  Opryland,  the  General  Jackson  (an
entertainment  showboat),  and other related  assets.  The media group  consists
primarily of the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, the Wildhorse Saloon, and
three  Nashville  radio  stations.  Gaylord's  management  team is  focusing  on
unlocking  shareholder value. They have recently opened a new hotel, the Gaylord
Palms, in Orlando, FL and are constructing a third in Grapevine, TX. The company
recently  announced  the sale of  Acuff-Rose  Music  Publishing to Sony for $157
million  and the  sale of its  stake  in the Opry  Mills  mall for $30  million,
allowing Gaylord to finance the completion of the Texas hotel.

GENUINE PARTS CO. (GPC - $30.80 - NYSE), a Georgia  corporation  incorporated in
1928,  is  the  premier   service   organization   engaged  in  the  traditional
distribution of automotive and industrial replacement parts, office products and
electrical/electronic   materials.   The   company's   NAPA   automotive   parts
distribution  centers  distribute  replacement parts (other than body parts) for
substantially  all motor  vehicle  makes  and  models  in  service  in the U.S.,
including imported vehicles,  trucks, buses, motorcycles,  recreational vehicles
and farm  vehicles.  The  Industrial  Parts Group  distributes a wide variety of
products to its  customers,  primarily  industrial  concerns,  to  maintain  and
operate  plants,  machinery  and  equipment.  The Office  Products  Group (S. P.
Richards  Company) is engaged in the wholesale  distribution  of a broad line of
office and other  products that are used in the daily  operation of  businesses,
schools,    offices    and    institutions.    The    financially    troublesome
Electrical/Electronic  Materials  Group  ("EIS")  distributes  materials for the
manufacture and repair of electrical and electronic apparatus.

GRUPO  TELEVISA  SA (TV - $27.93  - NYSE),  headquartered  in  Mexico,  is Latin
America's dominant Spanish language media and broadcast company. The company has
interests  in  television  production  and  broadcasting,  programming  for  pay
television, direct-to-home ("DTH") satellite services, publishing and publishing
distribution,  cable television,  radio broadcasting and production. The company
also produces  thousands of hours of television  programming  annually  which it
exports  to over 21  countries  including  the  United  States.  This  large and
expanding  program  library is exclusively  available for U.S.  distribution  by
Univision  Communications  (UVN - $24.50 - NYSE), a Spanish-language  television
broadcaster  in the United  States in which  Televisa has as a 15% fully diluted
equity stake.

HEINZ  (H.J.)  CO.  (HNZ - $32.87  - NYSE) is a  manufacturer  and  marketer  of
processed foods, including condiments and frozen meals. On December 20, 2002 the
company  completed the spin-off of certain  businesses,  including U.S. Starkist
Tuna,  North

                                       10

America pet products,  U.S. infant feeding,  College Inn broth and U.S.  private
label  soup  to  Del  Monte  Foods  Company.  Each  Heinz  shareholder  received
approximately  0.44  shares  of the new Del Monte  stock and as a result,  Heinz
shareholders own around 74.5% of the new company.  Following this deal, the H.J.
Heinz Company  reorganized  its U.S.  operations  into two segments -- Away from
Home,  to focus on  foodservice,  and  Consumer  Products,  centered  on  retail
business. These units consist of North American ketchup,  condiment,  sauces and
frozen meals businesses in addition to their International food businesses.

MEDIA  GENERAL  INC.  (MEG  -  $59.95  -  NYSE)  is a  Richmond,  Virginia-based
communications company that is primarily focused on the Southeast. Its newspaper
publishing  operations  include the RICHMOND  TIMES-DISPATCH,  THE WINSTON-SALEM
JOURNAL, THE TAMPA TRIBUNE, and 22 other daily newspapers. This includes 5 daily
newspapers,  clustered in Alabama and South  Carolina,  which the company bought
from Thomson Corp.  for $238 million in August 2000.  The company also owns a 20
percent  interest in the DENVER POST.  Media General also operates 26 television
stations primarily located in Southeastern markets,  including 13 purchased from
Spartan Communications on March 27, 2000 for $605 million.

MIDLAND  CO.  (MLAN - $19.00 - NASDAQ)  is a  specialty  property  and  casualty
insurance provider headquartered in Amelia, Ohio. The company's primary business
is to provide insurance for manufactured  homes although in recent years Midland
has expanded into other insurance business lines such as watercraft, motorcycle,
snowmobile  and  recreational  vehicle  insurance.  Midland is an  above-average
underwriter  and has  produced an  underwriting  profit in eight of the past ten
years.  The  company  also  owns a  niche  river  transportation  business  that
generates  approximately  5% of pre-tax income.  Midland has four strategies for
growth:  organic  growth,  strategic  acquisitions,   strategic  alliances,  and
expansion of low-risk fee income business.

SPS  TECHNOLOGIES  INC.  (ST -  $23.75  - NYSE)  is a  leading  manufacturer  of
fasteners,  superalloys and magnetic materials for the aerospace, automotive and
industrial  markets.  The Precision Fasteners and Components group produces high
strength  fasteners for the  aerospace,  automotive and machinery  markets.  The
Specialty  Materials  and Alloys group makes  superalloys  for the aerospace and
industrial gas turbine markets and the Magnetic Products group produces magnetic
materials used in automotive,  electronics and other specialty applications. SPS
has made roughly 20  acquisitions  since 1996 and has  positioned  the nearly $1
billion company to be a strategic global supplier in the consolidating  fastener
industry.  We believe the company  will  continue to use its strong cash flow to
augment internal revenue and earnings growth with acquisitions.

VERIZON  COMMUNICATIONS  INC.  (VZ - $38.75 - NYSE) was  formed by the merger of
Bell Atlantic and GTE, and pooling the wireless  assets of the combined  company
with U.S.  assets of  Vodafone  Group plc (VOD - $18.12 - NYSE).  Verizon is the
largest  domestic local phone provider with about 64 million access lines and is
also the largest national  wireless  carrier  servicing over 30 million wireless
customers.  Verizon is a major data  service  provider and a key player in print
and on-line directory information business. Verizon's global presence extends to
40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

WESTAR  ENERGY  INC.  (WR - $9.90 - NYSE) is a stock  with a very low  valuation
relative to the sum of its parts.  Westar's  share price has fallen sharply over
the past 12 months  because the company  failed to execute its plans to sell the
electric utility  operations to PNM Resources (PNM - $23.82 - NYSE) and also due
to  disappointing  rate  orders  from  regulators  in Kansas.  During the fourth
quarter of 2002,  Westar's top two officers resigned,  prompting the hiring of a
new CEO and COO. Both of these  individuals are experienced  utility  executives
who we think can turn the company  around and, in particular,  improve  Westar's
relationship  with state  regulators.  We think that Westar's  ongoing effort to
divest its 45% ownership  stake in ONEOK is a smart move. We would expect Westar
to use the profits from the ONEOK sale to pay off a large portion of the holding
company's  debt. We also think that Westar is going to divest much or all of its
85%  ownership  stake in  Protection  One (POI - $2 NYSE),  the nation's  second
largest monitored  security company.  The loss on the sale of the Protection One
shares  could be used to offset  Westar's  taxable gain on the sale of the ONEOK
shares.

7.25% TAX ADVANTAGED CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK -- DIVIDENDS

      The Trust's 7.25% Tax Advantaged  Cumulative  Preferred  Stock paid a cash
distribution  on December  26, 2002 of $0.453125  per share.  For the year ended
December 31, 2002, Preferred Stock shareholders received  distributions totaling
$1.8125,  the  annual  dividend  rate per  share of  Preferred  Stock.  The next
distribution  is scheduled  for March 2003.  The 7.25%  Preferred  Stock will be
callable at any time at the  liquidation  value of $25.00 per share plus accrued
dividends  following the expiration of the five-year call  protection on June 9,
2003.

                                       11

7.20% TAX ADVANTAGED SERIES B CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK -- DIVIDENDS

      The Trust's 7.20% Tax Advantaged Series B Cumulative  Preferred Stock paid
a cash  distribution  on  December  26,  2002 of $0.45 per  share.  The Series B
Preferred  Shares  were issued on June 20, 2001 at $25.00 per share and will pay
distributions  quarterly at an annual dividend rate of $1.80 per share. The next
distribution is scheduled for March 2003.

SERIES C AUCTION RATE CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK

      On June 27, 2002, the Trust  successfully  completed its offering of 5,200
Shares of Series C Auction Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock at $25,000 per share.
The dividend rates for the Series C Preferred  Shares ranged from 1.48% to 1.95%
during 2002.  Dividend  rates for the Preferred  Shares are cumulative at a rate
that may be reset  every  seven days based on the  results  of an  auction.  The
Preferred Shares do not trade on an exchange.

WWW.GABELLI.COM

      Please visit us on the Internet. Our homepage at www.gabelli.com  contains
information about Gabelli Asset Management Inc., the Gabelli Mutual Funds, IRAs,
401(k)s,  quarterly reports, closing prices and other current news. You can send
us e-mail at info@gabelli.com.

      In  our  efforts  to  bring  our   shareholders   more  timely   portfolio
information, Gabelli Fund's portfolio  managers  regularly  participate  in chat
sessions as reflected below.


                       FEBRUARY                          MARCH               APRIL
                       --------                          -----               -----
                                                                    
      1st Tuesday      Howard Ward                       Howard Ward         Howard Ward
      1st Wednesday    Walter Walsh & Laura Linehan      Caesar Bryan        Charles Minter & Martin Weiner
      2nd Wednesday    Caesar Bryan                      Susan Byrne         Susan Byrne
      3rd Wednesday    Elizabeth Lilly                   Henry Van der Eb    Ivan Arteaga
      4th Wednesday    Barbara Marcin                    Barbara Marcin      Walter Walsh & Laura Linehan
      5th Wednesday                                                          Barbara Marcin

      All chat sessions start at 4:15 PM (Eastern Time). Please arrive early, as
participation is limited.

      You may sign up for our e-mail alerts at www.gabelli.com and receive early
notice of chat  sessions,  closing  mutual  fund  prices,  news events and media
sightings.

IN CONCLUSION

      2002 was the  third  consecutive  year of  losses  for the S&P 500  Index.
Although  never pleased with negative  performance,  we are proud of the Gabelli
Equity Trust's relative  performance through one of the longest and most painful
bear markets in history.  For the three-year period concluding at year-end 2002,
the Fund had an average  annualized  decline of 9.61%. This is certainly nothing
to cheer about,  but  considering  the S&P 500's 14.54% average  annualized loss
over this period,  we have done a rather  commendable  job. Value  investing has
worked as it should, preserving assets in a difficult market environment. We are
confident it will also be productive in the more benign market climate we expect
in the year ahead.

                         Sincerely,


                         /S/ MARIO J. GABELLI
                         MARIO J. GABELLI, CFA
                         Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Officer

February 10, 2003

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                SELECTED HOLDINGS
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002
                                -----------------
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.                              Media General Inc.
Gaylord Entertainment Co.                            Midland Co.
Genuine Parts Co.                                    SPS Technologies Inc.
Grupo Televisa SA                                    Verizon Communications Inc.
Heinz (H.J.) Co.                                     Westar Energy Inc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: The views expressed in this report reflect those of the portfolio managers
only through the end of the period stated in this report.  The  managers'  views
are subject to change at any time based on market and other conditions.

                                       12

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                                PORTFOLIO CHANGES
                         QUARTER ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2002
                                   (UNAUDITED)

                                                    OWNERSHIP AT
                                                    DECEMBER 31,
                                          SHARES        2002
                                         --------   ------------
NET PURCHASES
COMMON STOCKS
AES Corp. ..........................        8,000        60,000
Agere Systems Inc., Cl. B ..........       16,000       150,393
Ascent Media Group Inc., Cl. A .....       24,000        24,000
AT&T Corp. (a) .....................      300,000       300,000
Blockbuster Inc., Cl. A ............       50,000        50,000
Broadwing Inc. .....................       50,000       900,000
BT Group plc, ADR ..................        2,300        36,300
Cable And Wireless Jamaica Ltd. (b)       855,919     4,194,111
Cable & Wireless plc, ADR ..........        7,000       180,000
Campbell Soup Co. ..................       20,000       100,000
Carlsberg AS, Cl. B ................        2,000        13,000
Cinergy Corp. ......................        3,000        23,000
Coca-Cola Co. ......................        5,000        35,000
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co. SA .       20,000        40,000
Comcast Corp., Cl. A (c)(d) ........      525,250       525,250
Comcast Corp., Cl. A, Special (e) ..       85,000        85,000
ConocoPhillips .....................        5,000       103,217
Corning Inc. .......................       15,000       525,000
CRH plc ............................        8,000       100,500
Cypress Semiconductor Corp. ........      315,000       315,000
Del Monte Foods Co. (f) ............       53,592        53,592
DPL Inc. ...........................        6,000        26,000
El Paso Corp. ......................       30,000       150,000
Electronic Data Systems Corp. ......        5,000         5,000
Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.       110,000       350,432
Gray Television Inc. ...............       75,000       100,000
Gucci Group NV, ADR ................        1,500        34,500
Heinz (H.J.) Co. (f) ...............        6,000       120,000
Henry Schein Inc. ..................       15,000        15,000
Hershey Foods Corp. ................        5,000        20,000
Honeywell International Inc. .......       20,000       420,000
John Hancock Financial Services Inc.       15,000        75,000
KDDI Corp. .........................          143           143
Liberty Media Corp., Cl. A .........       73,600     1,913,600
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis
   Vuitton SA (g) ..................       12,100        12,100
Maytag Corp. .......................        5,000        35,000
Mediaset SpA .......................      120,000       120,000
Merck & Co. Inc. ...................       10,000        50,000
Molex Inc., Cl. A ..................        2,000        18,000
Motorola Inc. ......................       10,000       120,000
Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. ......       11,500        11,500
Nortek Holdings Inc. ...............      137,800       137,800
Nortek Holdings Inc., Special
   Common ..........................        5,000         5,000
Northrop Grumman Corp. (h) .........       90,069       181,069
Panamerican Beverages Inc., Cl. A ..       30,000        30,000
Reader's Digest Association Inc. (i)      170,800       170,800
RTL Group ..........................       14,700        17,700
Schering-Plough Corp. ..............       10,000        20,000
Sealed Air Corp. ...................        5,000         5,000
Tokyo Electron Ltd. ................        5,000        13,400
TXU Corp. ..........................      100,000       100,000
UBS AG .............................       14,000        14,000
Vivendi Universal SA, ADR ..........       15,000       325,000
Vodafone Group plc .................      100,000       553,888
Wrigley (Wm.) Jr. Co. ..............        2,100       179,100
Wyeth ..............................        5,000        60,000

PREFERRED STOCKS
Hercules Trust I, 9.420% Pfd. ......        7,000       280,500
Lucent Technologies Capital Trust I,
   7.750% Cv. Pfd. .................          500           500

                                                    OWNERSHIP AT
                                                    DECEMBER 31,
                                          SHARES        2002
                                         --------   ------------
NET SALES
COMMON STOCKS
AT&T Corp. (a)(c) ..................   (1,500,000)           --
BAE Systems plc ....................      (25,000)      100,000
Comcast Corp., Cl. A (d) ...........      (40,000)           --
Comcast Corp., Cl. A, Special (e) ..      (85,000)           --
Delhaize Le Lion SA, ADR ...........      (16,000)           --
DTE Energy Co. .....................       (3,366)       27,000
Genuity Inc., Cl. A ................      (10,000)       20,000
Halliburton Co. ....................      (91,000)      189,000
Interbrew ..........................      (12,000)       18,000
Leap Wireless International Inc. ...      (42,900)      100,000
Liberty Livewire Corp., Cl. A ......      (24,000)           --
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton,
   ADR (g) .........................      (60,500)           --
Nintendo Co. Ltd. ..................       (1,300)        8,200
Nortek Inc. ........................     (137,800)           --
Nortek Inc., Special Common ........       (5,000)           --
NTL Inc. ...........................      (20,000)           --
NTL Inc., rights ...................         (298)           --
Olympus Optical Co. Ltd. ...........      (28,000)           --
Pennzoil-Quaker State Co. (j) ......     (358,200)           --
Precision Castparts Corp. ..........       (5,000)       55,000
RCN Corp. ..........................      (20,000)       90,000
Reader's Digest Association Inc.,
   Cl. B (i) .......................     (140,000)           --
Rohm and Haas Co. ..................      (10,000)        5,000
Rollins Inc. .......................      (32,000)      473,000
RTL Group ..........................      (14,700)           --
Sara Lee Corp. .....................       (5,000)       15,000
Secom Co. Ltd. .....................       (7,000)           --
SCMP Group Ltd .....................     (138,681)      261,319
TRW Inc. (h) .......................     (170,000)           --
Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd. ......      (29,273)           --
Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. .............       (5,000)       20,000
Worldcom Inc.--MCI Group ...........     (120,000)           --

PREFERRED STOCKS
Allen Telecom Inc., 7.750% Cv. Pfd.,
   Ser D ...........................       (7,500)       52,500
Lucent Technologies Capital Trust I,
   7.750% Cv. Pfd. .................         (500)           --
News Corp. Ltd., Pfd., ADR .........           (5)      770,494

-------------
(a) 1 for 5 reverse stock split

(b) 1 for 13 bonus issue

(c) Merger -- 0.3235  shares of Comcast  Corp.,  Cl. A for every 1 share of AT&T
    Corp.

(d) Merger -- 1  share  of  Comcast Corp., Cl. A for   every 1  share of Comcast
    Corp., Cl. A

(e) Merger -- 1 share of  Comcast  Corp.,  Cl. A,  Special  for every 1 share of
    Comcast Corp., Cl. A, Special

(f) Spinoff -- 0.4466  shares of Del Monte  Foods Co. for every 1 share of Heinz
    (H.J.) Co.

(g) Merger -- 0.2000 shares of LVMH Moet  Hennessy  Louis Vuitton SA for every 1
    share of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, ADR

(h) Merger -- 0.5357 shares of Northrop  Grumman Corp.  for every 1 share of TRW
    Inc.

(i) Merger -- 1.2200  shares  of Reader's  Digest  Association Inc. for  every 1
    share of Reader's Digest Association Inc., Cl. B

(j) Tender Offer at $22.00 per share

                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                       13

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                            PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
            COMMON STOCKS -- 85.4%
            TELECOMMUNICATIONS -- 7.8%
      8,132 Aliant Inc. .............$     72,479 $      129,976
      6,000 Allegiance
               Telecom Inc.+ ........      45,638          4,020
     30,000 ALLTEL Corp. ............     617,209      1,530,000
    300,000 AT&T Corp. ..............   9,781,380      7,833,000
     40,540 ATX Communications
               Inc.+ ................     238,320         15,811
      3,333 Avaya Inc.+ .............      26,540          8,166
    320,000 BCE Inc. ................   8,524,049      5,763,200
     33,400 Brasil Telecom Participacoes
               SA, ADR ..............   1,940,826        843,350
    900,000 Broadwing Inc.+ .........   8,446,628      3,168,000
  1,775,000 BT Group plc ............   7,339,812      5,572,325
     36,300 BT Group plc, ADR .......   1,393,082      1,137,279
  4,194,111 Cable & Wireless
               Jamaica Ltd. .........     101,639        101,087
    180,000 Cable & Wireless
               plc, ADR .............   4,079,570        419,400
    130,000 CenturyTel Inc. .........   2,760,538      3,819,400
    100,000 Citizens Communications
               Co.+ .................   1,226,788      1,055,000
    255,466 Commonwealth Telephone
               Enterprises Inc.+ ....   9,444,863      9,155,901
     20,000 Commonwealth Telephone
               Enterprises Inc.,
               Cl. B+ ...............     128,902        735,000
     45,000 Compania de
               Telecomunicaciones de
               Chile SA, ADR ........     721,724        431,550
    240,278 Deutsche Telekom AG, ADR    4,091,422      3,051,531
    200,000 Embratel Participacoes SA,
               ADR+ .................   3,112,869        214,000
     24,000 France Telecom SA, ADR ..     904,424        426,480
        230 Japan Telecom Holdings
               Co. Ltd. .............     801,311        713,238
        143 KDDI Corp. ..............     445,020        463,933
    100,000 KPN NV+ .................     232,728        650,598
    700,000 Qwest Communications
               International Inc.+ ..   2,010,505      3,500,000
     90,000 RCN Corp.+ ..............     638,986         47,700
      9,655 Rogers Communications Inc.,
               Cl. B+ ...............     137,424         89,596
    110,345 Rogers Communications Inc.,
               Cl. B, ADR+ ..........   1,537,198      1,035,036
    225,000 SBC Communications Inc. .   7,483,249      6,099,750
    350,000 Sprint Corp. - FON
               Group ................   8,833,016      5,068,000
    186,554 Tele Norte Leste Participacoes
               SA, ADR ..............   2,554,387      1,371,172
     40,000 Telecom Argentina Stet France
               Telecom SA, ADR+ .....     349,211         90,000
    400,040 Telecom Italia SpA ......   3,059,315      3,035,026
    123,000 Telecom Italia SpA, ADR .   2,585,208      9,345,540
    135,000 Telecom Italia SpA, RNC .     517,495        681,396
    265,139 Telefonica SA, ADR+ .....   9,182,511      7,044,743
     16,912 Telefonica SA, BDR+ .....     206,521        150,487
     36,000 Telefonos de Mexico SA de
               CV, Cl. L, ADR .......     389,422      1,151,280
     12,750 TELUS Corp. .............     222,542        140,834
     52,500 TELUS Corp., ADR ........     950,397        579,907
      4,250 TELUS Corp., Non-Voting .      74,181         43,448
     27,500 TELUS Corp., Non-Voting,
               ADR ..................     557,547        281,131
    340,000 Verizon Communications
               Inc. .................  12,761,426     13,175,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                      120,528,302    100,172,291
                                   -------------- --------------
            FINANCIAL SERVICES -- 7.5%
     90,000 Allstate Corp. ..........   2,376,366      3,329,100
    550,000 American Express Co. ....  19,230,623     19,442,500
     36,400 Argonaut Group Inc. .....     977,772        536,900

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
     90,000 Banco Santander Central
               Hispano SA, ADR ......$    322,130 $      634,500
    110,000 Bank of Ireland .........     635,101      1,128,892
     80,000 Bank of New York Co. Inc.   2,960,687      1,916,800
     85,000 Bank One Corp. ..........   2,606,390      3,106,750
    282,000 Bankgesellschaft
               Berlin AG+ ...........   5,606,801        591,834
        260 Berkshire Hathaway Inc.,
               Cl. A+ ...............     824,299     18,915,000
      5,000 Block (H&R) Inc. ........      97,625        201,000
    190,000 Commerzbank AG, ADR .....   3,839,967      1,499,290
    160,000 Deutsche Bank AG, ADR ...   6,917,270      7,268,800
     20,000 Dun and Bradstreet Corp.+     333,130        689,800
     50,000 FleetBoston Financial Corp. 1,041,125      1,215,000
     25,000 Hibernia Corp., Cl. A ...     198,750        481,500
     20,000 Invik & Co. AB, Cl. B ...     936,800        594,491
    100,000 Irish Life & Permanent plc    781,432      1,080,832
     75,000 John Hancock Financial
               Services Inc. ........   2,741,794      2,092,500
     50,000 JP Morgan Chase & Co. ...   1,334,283      1,200,000
     64,000 Leucadia National Corp. .   2,040,082      2,387,840
    100,000 Mellon Financial Corp. ..   3,140,094      2,611,000
    199,400 Midland Co. .............   1,114,894      3,788,600
     30,000 Moody's Corp. ...........     666,995      1,238,700
    207,500 Nikko Cordial Corp. .....   1,534,151        699,418
    185,000 Phoenix Companies Inc. ..   2,981,430      1,406,000
      2,500 Prudential Financial Inc.      68,750         79,350
     60,000 RAS SpA .................     660,245        730,348
     60,000 Riggs National Corp. ....     552,538        929,400
     50,000 Schwab (Charles) Corp. ..     730,625        542,500
     80,000 State Street Corp. ......   1,417,370      3,120,000
     30,000 Stilwell Financial Inc. .     470,955        392,100
     20,000 SunTrust Banks Inc. .....     419,333      1,138,400
    100,000 T. Rowe Price Group Inc.    3,379,425      2,728,000
      7,000 Travelers Property Casualty
               Corp., Cl. A+ ........     129,500        102,550
     14,000 UBS AG+ .................     588,234        680,413
     58,500 Unitrin Inc. ............   1,073,500      1,709,370
    130,000 Wachovia Corp. ..........   4,051,382      4,737,200
     55,100 Waddell & Reed Financial Inc.,
               Cl. A ................   1,150,377      1,083,817
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       79,932,225     96,030,495
                                   -------------- --------------
            FOOD AND BEVERAGE -- 7.4%
     15,000 Cadbury Schweppes
               plc, ADR .............     393,807        384,150
    100,000 Campbell Soup Co. .......   2,694,094      2,347,000
     13,000 Carlsberg AS, Cl. B .....     642,968        572,099
     35,000 Coca-Cola Co. ...........   1,625,312      1,533,700
     50,000 Coca-Cola Enterprises
               Inc. .................     773,534      1,086,000
     40,000 Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling
               Co. SA ...............     614,996        555,736
    100,000 Corn Products
               International Inc. ...   2,916,387      3,013,000
     53,592 Del Monte Foods Co.+ ....     447,217        412,659
     10,108 Denny's Corp.+ ..........      14,358          6,469
    100,000 Diageo plc ..............   1,037,393      1,086,694
    224,000 Diageo plc, ADR .........   8,642,745      9,811,200
     20,000 Dreyer's Grand Ice
               Cream Inc. ...........   1,345,682      1,419,200
     41,600 Flowers Foods Inc. ......   1,055,628        811,616
     90,000 General Mills Inc. ......   3,178,115      4,225,500
    440,000 Grupo Bimbo SA de CV,
               Ser. A ...............     949,109        647,133
     20,000 Hain Celestial
               Group Inc.+ ..........     267,663        304,000
    120,000 Heinz (H.J.) Co. ........   4,315,473      3,944,400
     20,000 Hershey Foods Corp. .....   1,333,128      1,348,800
     18,000 Interbrew ...............     499,878        424,987
    350,000 Kellogg Co. .............   9,933,854     11,994,500

                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                       14

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                      PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS (CONTINUED)
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
            COMMON STOCKS (CONTINUED)
            FOOD AND BEVERAGE (CONTINUED)
     75,000 Kerry Group plc, Cl. A ..$    860,877 $      987,080
     12,100 LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis
               Vuitton SA ...........     419,053        497,093
     41,300 Mondavi (Robert) Corp.,
               Cl. A+ ...............   1,286,495      1,280,300
      1,000 Nestle SA ...............     213,495        211,906
     30,000 Panamerican Beverages Inc.,
               Cl. A ................     620,279        623,400
    150,000 Parmalat Finanziaria
               SpA ..................     442,418        357,304
    600,595 PepsiAmericas Inc. ......   8,073,962      8,065,991
    500,000 PepsiCo Inc. ............  14,253,072     21,110,000
      7,000 Pernod-Ricard SA ........     606,722        677,986
     60,000 Ralcorp Holdings Inc.+ ..     940,903      1,508,400
     15,000 Sara Lee Corp. ..........     304,094        337,650
      2,000 Smucker (J.M.) Co. ......      52,993         79,620
    103,854 Tootsie Roll
               Industries Inc. ......   1,580,957      3,186,241
    179,100 Wrigley (Wm.) Jr. Co. ...   9,697,289      9,829,008
                                     ------------ --------------
                                       82,033,950     94,680,822
                                     ------------ --------------
            ENTERTAINMENT -- 6.4%
    620,000 AOL Time Warner Inc.+ ...  14,622,091      8,122,000
     24,000 Ascent Media Group Inc.,
               Cl. A+ ...............      93,109         26,880
     50,000 Blockbuster Inc., Cl. A .     680,395        612,500
    160,000 Canal Plus, ADR .........      34,010        150,432
    110,000 EMI Group plc ...........     292,543        246,156
    100,000 EMI Group plc, ADR ......   1,189,467        447,550
    120,000 Fox Entertainment Group
               Inc., Cl. A+ .........   2,783,871      3,111,600
     50,000 GC Companies Inc.+ ......      54,500          9,000
    350,432 Gemstar-TV Guide
               International Inc.+ ..   2,854,443      1,138,904
  1,913,600 Liberty Media Corp.,
               Cl. A+ ...............   9,721,198     17,107,584
    300,000 Metro-Goldwyn-
               Mayer Inc.+ ..........   4,962,381      3,900,000
    160,000 Publishing &
               Broadcasting Ltd. ....     893,720        779,332
     15,000 Regal Entertainment Group,
               Cl. A ................     285,000        321,300
    225,000 Six Flags Inc.+ .........   1,991,205      1,284,750
    260,000 The Walt Disney Co. .....   5,453,387      4,240,600
    840,000 Viacom Inc., Cl. A+ .....  35,321,392     34,280,400
     40,900 Vivendi Universal SA ....   2,169,026        660,515
    325,000 Vivendi Universal
               SA, ADR ..............  10,081,404      5,222,750
                                     ------------ --------------
                                       93,483,142     81,662,253
                                     ------------ --------------
            ENERGY AND UTILITIES -- 5.7%
     60,000 AES Corp.+ ..............     294,617        181,200
     70,000 AGL Resources Inc. ......   1,259,271      1,701,000
     37,400 Apache Corp. ............     844,013      2,131,426
    120,000 BP plc ..................     725,215        824,921
    248,800 BP plc, ADR .............  10,091,328     10,113,720
    150,000 Burlington
               Resources Inc. .......   6,384,591      6,397,500
    115,000 CH Energy Group Inc. ....   4,749,282      5,362,450
     23,000 Cinergy Corp. ...........     700,115        775,560
    103,217 ConocoPhillips ..........   5,288,737      4,994,671
     10,000 Constellation Energy
               Group Inc. ...........     237,177        278,200
      2,500 Dominion Resources Inc. .     152,000        137,250
     26,000 DPL Inc. ................     524,093        398,840
    100,000 DQE Inc. ................   1,744,412      1,524,000
     27,000 DTE Energy Co. ..........   1,193,907      1,252,800
    580,000 Duke Energy Corp. .......  10,643,000     11,333,200
    150,000 El Paso Corp. ...........   2,669,824      1,044,000
    400,000 El Paso Electric Co.+ ...   3,236,625      4,400,000
     30,000 Energy East Corp. .......     629,693        662,700
     40,000 Exxon Mobil Corp. .......   1,274,246      1,397,600
      9,400 FPL Group Inc. ..........     507,682        565,222

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
     30,000 Gas Natural SDG SA ......$    547,942 $      568,853
    189,000 Halliburton Co. .........   2,146,256      3,536,190
     38,632 Kerr-McGee Corp. ........   2,281,548      1,711,398
     90,000 Mirant Corp.+ ...........   1,000,720        170,100
    100,000 NiSource Inc.+ ..........     200,000        222,000
    250,000 Northeast Utilities .....   4,834,797      3,792,500
    100,000 Progress Energy
               Inc., CVO+ ...........      52,000         16,000
      7,500 Royal Dutch
               Petroleum Co. ........     317,555        330,150
     10,400 SJW Corp. ...............     931,126        811,720
     14,000 Southwest Gas Corp. .....     289,625        328,300
      7,907 Total Fina Elf SA .......   1,114,624      1,129,251
    100,000 TXU Corp. ...............   1,673,875      1,868,000
    260,000 Westar Energy Inc. ......   4,407,757      2,574,000
     60,000 Xcel Energy Inc. ........     611,575        660,000
                                     ------------ --------------
                                       73,559,228     73,194,722
                                     ------------ --------------
            PUBLISHING -- 5.2%
     20,000 Dow Jones & Co. Inc. ....   1,030,036        864,600
    196,000 Independent News &
               Media plc ............     316,913        318,793
     15,900 Knight-Ridder Inc. ......   1,066,095      1,005,675
      5,000 McClatchy Co., Cl. A ....     240,250        283,650
    105,000 McGraw-Hill
               Companies Inc. .......   6,319,141      6,346,200
    400,000 Media General Inc.,
               Cl. A ................  23,598,458     23,980,000
    125,000 Meredith Corp. ..........   2,091,314      5,138,750
    115,000 New York Times
               Co., Cl. A ...........     790,115      5,258,950
    120,000 News Corp. Ltd. .........     696,029        775,728
     11,016 News Corp. Ltd., ADR ....     195,893        289,170
    400,000 Penton Media Inc.+ ......   4,849,118        272,000
    350,000 PRIMEDIA Inc.+ ..........   1,806,479        721,000
     33,000 Pulitzer Inc. ...........   1,483,667      1,483,350
    170,800 Reader's Digest
               Association Inc. .....   3,371,358      2,579,080
    261,319 SCMP Group Ltd. .........     191,790        108,906
     70,000 Scripps (E.W.) Co.,
               Cl. A ................   4,559,387      5,386,500
     91,842 Seat-Pagine Gialle SpA+ .     204,007         62,547
     75,000 Thomas Nelson Inc.+ .....     908,325        751,500
    250,000 Tribune Co. .............  11,310,100     11,365,000
                                     ------------ --------------
                                       65,028,475     66,991,399
                                     ------------ --------------
            EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES -- 4.9%
    120,000 AMETEK Inc. .............   1,873,494      4,618,800
      2,000 Amphenol Corp., Cl. A+ ..      29,550         76,000
     10,000 Caterpillar Inc. ........     136,559        457,200
     95,000 CIRCOR International
               Inc. .................     981,440      1,510,500
    320,000 Deere & Co. .............  15,328,000     14,672,000
    216,000 Donaldson Co. Inc. ......   1,449,454      7,776,000
    135,000 Flowserve Corp.+ ........   2,468,412      1,996,650
     13,000 Franklin Electric
               Co. Inc. .............     210,022        624,130
    100,000 Gerber Scientific Inc.+ .   1,060,701        406,000
     75,000 GrafTech
               International Ltd.+ ..   1,008,428        447,000
    211,300 IDEX Corp. ..............   6,831,329      6,909,510
     20,000 Ingersoll-Rand Co.,
               Cl. A ................     836,200        861,200
     60,000 Lufkin Industries Inc. ..   1,105,223      1,407,000
      1,000 Manitowoc Co. Inc. ......      25,450         25,500
    425,000 Navistar International
               Corp.+ ...............   6,419,191     10,331,750
     30,000 PACCAR Inc. .............     450,000      1,383,900
      5,000 Sealed Air Corp.+ .......      87,018        186,500
    170,000 SPS Technologies Inc.+ ..   2,963,443      4,037,500
     60,000 Sybron Dental
               Specialties Inc.+ ....   1,140,669        891,000
     20,000 Terumo Corp. ............     274,946        276,734
    250,000 Watts Industries
               Inc., Cl. A ..........   3,331,739      3,935,000
    100,000 Weir Group plc ..........     420,789        339,692
                                     ------------ --------------
                                       48,432,057     63,169,566
                                     ------------ --------------

                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                       15

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                      PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS (CONTINUED)
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
            COMMON STOCKS (CONTINUED)
            DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIAL -- 4.2%
    220,000 Acuity Brands Inc. ....$    3,801,308 $    2,978,800
    195,000 Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp.      2,627,873      2,371,200
    120,000 Cooper Industries Ltd.,
               Cl. A ..............     5,953,705      4,374,000
    270,000 Crane Co. .............     5,062,737      5,381,100
    110,000 GATX Corp. ............     1,748,853      2,510,200
    200,000 GenTek Inc.+ ..........     1,587,121          3,000
    260,000 Greif Bros. Corp.,
               Cl. A ..............     4,845,131      6,188,000
      3,400 Greif Bros. Corp.,
               Cl. B ..............        69,825         91,205
    420,000 Honeywell International
               Inc. ...............    14,297,068     10,080,000
    120,000 ITT Industries Inc. ...     3,650,454      7,282,800
    400,600 Lamson & Sessions Co.+      2,458,185      1,289,932
     34,500 National Service
               Industries Inc. ....       457,454        247,710
     83,715 Park-Ohio Holdings
               Corp.+ .............     1,009,737        348,254
    213,800 Sensient Technologies
               Corp. ..............     3,865,929      4,804,086
     10,000 Smiths Group plc ......       171,257        111,970
      6,000 Sulzer AG+ ............     1,275,079        815,801
    100,000 Thomas Industries Inc.      1,388,525      2,606,000
     50,000 Trinity Industries Inc.       945,000        948,000
     55,000 Tyco International Ltd.       861,864        939,400
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       56,077,105     53,371,458
                                   -------------- --------------
            CONSUMER PRODUCTS -- 3.8%
     70,000 Altadis SA ............     1,030,995      1,596,902
     43,000 Christian Dior SA .....     1,514,055      1,447,066
     10,000 Church & Dwight
               Co. Inc. ...........        99,535        304,300
    100,000 Compagnie Financiere
               Richemont AG, Cl. A      1,411,829      1,865,928
     50,000 Department 56 Inc.+ ...       524,317        645,000
     90,000 Fortune Brands Inc. ...     2,401,342      4,185,900
    250,000 Gallaher Group plc, ADR     9,687,500      9,800,000
    300,000 Gillette Co. ..........     9,680,864      9,108,000
      2,000 Givaudan SA ...........       550,742        896,803
     60,000 Harley-Davidson Inc. ..       151,125      2,772,000
     15,000 Matsushita Electric Industrial
               Co. Ltd., ADR ......       178,325        144,000
    100,000 Mattel Inc. ...........     1,549,565      1,915,000
     35,000 Maytag Corp. ..........     1,035,876        997,500
     50,000 National Presto
               Industries Inc. ....     1,768,883      1,469,000
      8,200 Nintendo Co. Ltd. .....       700,058        766,310
     20,000 Philip Morris
               Companies Inc. .....       600,935        810,600
    100,000 Procter & Gamble Co. ..     8,770,000      8,594,000
     32,000 Shimano Inc. ..........       521,107        485,379
     15,000 Swatch Group AG, Cl. B        868,351      1,247,568
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       43,045,404     49,051,256
                                   -------------- --------------
            WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS -- 3.6%
     95,000 America Movil SA de CV,
               Cl. L, ADR .........     1,235,397      1,364,200
    550,170 AT&T Wireless
               Services Inc.+ .....     7,186,094      3,108,461
    100,000 Leap Wireless
               International Inc.+        897,410         15,000
  1,775,000 mm02 plc+ .............     1,980,584      1,264,489
    125,600 mm02 plc, ADR+ ........     1,452,796        898,040
    240,000 Nextel Communications Inc.,
               Cl. A+ .............     3,841,367      2,772,000
      1,000 NTT DoCoMo Inc. .......     2,437,994      1,845,453
    250,000 Rogers Wireless
               Communications Inc.,
               Cl. B+ .............     3,494,025      2,200,000
    230,000 Sprint Corp. - PCS Group+     533,587      1,007,400
     16,700 Tele Celular Sul Participacoes
               SA, ADR ............       266,992        131,262
     55,666 Tele Centro Oeste Celular
               Participacoes SA, ADR      166,868        222,664

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
      3,340 Tele Leste Celular Participacoes
               SA, ADR ............$       89,340 $       21,042
      8,350 Tele Nordeste Celular
               Participacoes SA, ADR      123,227        127,755
      3,340 Tele Norte Celular
               Participacoes SA,
               ADR+ ...............        51,601         15,531
  1,400,000 Telecom Italia
               Mobile SpA .........     2,694,316      6,390,547
      8,350 Telemig Celular Participacoes
               SA, ADR ............       241,320        141,115
    450,000 Telephone & Data
               Systems Inc. .......    37,059,011     21,159,000
     66,800 Telesp Celular Participacoes
               SA, ADR+ ...........     2,135,936        203,740
    553,888 Vodafone Group plc ....       975,799      1,009,866
    100,000 Vodafone Group plc, ADR       927,768      1,812,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       67,791,432     45,709,565
                                   -------------- --------------
            CABLE -- 3.3%
    100,000 Adelphia Communications
               Corp., Cl. A+ ......       675,823          8,500
  1,551,443 Cablevision Systems Corp.,
               Cl. A+ .............    23,225,037     25,971,156
     30,000 Charter Communications Inc.,
               Cl. A+ .............       138,876         35,400
    525,250 Comcast Corp., Cl. A+ .    16,072,664     12,380,142
     85,000 Comcast Corp.,
               Cl. A, Special+ ....       756,584      1,920,150
     20,000 Shaw Communications Inc.,
               Cl. B ..............        52,983        205,472
     80,000 Shaw Communications Inc.,
               Cl. B, Non-Voting ..       329,198        822,400
    370,000 UnitedGlobalCom Inc.,
               Cl. A+ .............     2,499,253        888,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       43,750,418     42,231,220
                                   -------------- --------------
            AUTOMOTIVE: PARTS AND ACCESSORIES -- 3.0%
     20,000 ArvinMeritor Inc. .....       387,543        333,400
     37,802 BorgWarner Inc. .......     1,732,135      1,905,977
    100,000 CLARCOR Inc. ..........     1,266,455      3,227,000
    320,061 Dana Corp. ............     5,237,799      3,763,917
     65,000 Delphi Corp. ..........       766,915        523,250
    260,000 GenCorp Inc. ..........     2,470,673      2,059,200
    210,000 Genuine Parts Co. .....     5,500,492      6,468,000
    114,000 Johnson Controls Inc. .     9,222,600      9,139,380
    105,000 Midas Inc.+ ...........     1,470,247        675,150
    335,000 Modine Manufacturing Co.    4,388,179      5,922,800
     20,000 O'Reilly Automotive Inc.+     579,199        505,800
     70,800 Scheib (Earl) Inc.+ ...       608,339        169,920
    163,000 Standard Motor
               Products Inc. ......     1,748,388      2,119,000
     24,000 Superior Industries
               International Inc. .       603,378        992,640
    105,000 TransPro Inc.+ ........       936,808        588,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       36,919,150     38,393,434
                                   -------------- --------------
            HEALTH CARE -- 2.7%
     20,000 Abbott Laboratories ...       743,000        800,000
     60,000 Amgen Inc.+ ...........       256,894      2,900,400
     40,000 Apogent Technologies
               Inc.+ ..............       803,368        832,000
     10,000 AstraZeneca plc, London       385,298        357,401
     35,146 AstraZeneca plc,
               Stockholm ..........     1,255,532      1,234,278
     15,000 Aventis SA ............     1,056,288        815,346
     26,000 Biogen Inc.+ ..........       181,025      1,041,560
    110,000 Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.    2,938,465      2,546,500
     23,000 Centerpulse AG+ .......     1,394,669      4,008,852
     75,036 GlaxoSmithKline plc ...     1,817,377      1,439,957
      4,000 GlaxoSmithKline
               plc, ADR ...........       216,096        149,840
     15,000 Henry Schein Inc.+ ....       675,634        675,000
     56,011 Invitrogen Corp.+ .....     2,678,982      1,752,584
     50,000 Merck & Co. Inc. ......     2,840,158      2,830,500
     41,000 Novartis AG ...........     1,292,180      1,495,961

                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                       16

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                      PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS (CONTINUED)
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
            COMMON STOCKS (CONTINUED)
            HEALTH CARE (CONTINUED)
    108,000 Novartis AG,
               Registered .........$    3,905,280 $    3,966,840
     65,000 Pfizer Inc. ...........     1,077,000      1,987,050
     17,900 Roche Holding AG ......     1,644,702      1,247,326
     20,000 Sanofi-Synthelabo SA ..       967,750      1,222,494
     20,000 Schering-Plough Corp. .       527,530        444,000
     14,000 Takeda Chemical
               Industries Ltd. ....       782,347        585,152
     60,000 Wyeth .................     2,563,371      2,244,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       30,002,946     34,577,041
                                   -------------- --------------
            HOTELS AND GAMING -- 2.3%
    110,000 Aztar Corp.+ ..........       772,707      1,570,800
     90,000 Boca Resorts Inc.,
               Cl. A+ .............       787,000        963,000
    240,000 Gaylord Entertainment
               Co.+ ...............     6,198,540      4,944,000
     30,000 Greek Organization of
               Football Prognostics       288,232        317,953
      8,000 GTECH Holdings Corp.+ .        69,219        222,880
  2,460,000 Hilton Group plc ......     8,307,399      6,613,861
    650,000 Hilton Hotels Corp. ...     6,542,136      8,261,500
     60,000 MGM Mirage+ ...........     1,588,260      1,978,200
    430,000 Park Place Entertainment
               Corp.+ .............     2,424,893      3,612,000
     50,000 Starwood Hotels & Resorts
               Worldwide Inc. .....     1,075,717      1,187,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       28,054,103     29,671,194
                                   -------------- --------------
            AEROSPACE -- 2.1%
    100,000 BAE Systems plc .......       470,791        199,630
    115,000 Boeing Co. ............     3,847,934      3,793,850
    100,000 Lockheed Martin Corp. .     5,677,100      5,775,000
    181,069 Northrop Grumman Corp.     17,210,135     17,563,693
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       27,205,960     27,332,173
                                   -------------- --------------
            RETAIL -- 2.0%
    200,000 Albertson's Inc. ......     5,669,538      4,452,000
    300,000 AutoNation Inc.+ ......     3,354,597      3,768,000
     75,000 Boots Co. plc .........       739,158        707,559
     10,000 Coldwater Creek Inc.+ .       181,517        192,000
     10,000 Fast Retailing Co. Ltd.       268,047        352,237
     34,500 Gucci Group NV, ADR ...     2,844,684      3,160,200
      8,000 Ito-Yokado Co. Ltd. ...       339,093        235,948
    100,000 Lillian Vernon Corp. ..     1,362,258        410,000
     90,000 Neiman Marcus Group Inc.,
               Cl. A+ .............     2,800,847      2,735,100
    320,000 Neiman Marcus Group Inc.,
               Cl. B+ .............     7,741,769      8,745,600
      7,750 Tod's SpA .............       387,822        248,122
     20,000 Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.        236,476        305,600
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       25,925,806     25,312,366
                                   -------------- --------------
            CONSUMER SERVICES -- 1.8%
     40,000 Loewen Group Inc.+ ....        48,700          1,200
    473,000 Rollins Inc. ..........     5,422,989     12,037,850
    490,000 USA Interactive Inc.+ .    11,838,600     11,230,800
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       17,310,289     23,269,850
                                   -------------- --------------
            REAL ESTATE -- 1.6%
    450,000 Catellus Development
               Corp.+ .............     7,555,315      8,932,500
     75,000 Cheung Kong (Holdings)
               Ltd. ...............       871,487        488,083
     44,000 Florida East Coast Industries
               Inc., Cl. A ........       523,108      1,020,800
     58,451 Florida East Coast Industries
               Inc., Cl. B ........       964,977      1,290,013
     55,000 Griffin Land &
               Nurseries Inc.+ ....       513,143        796,950
      4,753 HomeFed Corp.+ ........           851          6,892
    253,000 St. Joe Co. ...........     1,873,208      7,590,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       12,302,089     20,125,238
                                   -------------- --------------

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
            BROADCASTING -- 1.5%
     15,015 Clear Channel
               Communications
               Inc.+ ..............$      481,784 $      559,909
     16,666 Corus Entertainment Inc.,
               Cl. B+ .............        62,036        199,914
    100,000 Gray Television Inc. ..       974,530        975,000
     28,000 Gray Television Inc.,
               Cl. A ..............       376,900        331,800
    195,000 Grupo Televisa SA, ADR+     5,116,358      5,446,350
    200,000 Liberty Corp. .........     8,528,905      7,760,000
      5,000 LIN TV Corp., Cl. A+ ..       110,000        121,750
    120,000 Mediaset SpA ..........       915,894        914,195
      4,000 Nippon Broadcasting
               System Inc. ........       161,709        119,660
     40,375 NRJ Group .............       384,806        614,329
    131,000 Paxson Communications
               Corp.+ ............      1,311,348        269,860
     17,700 RTL Group ............        775,136        525,630
    100,000 Television Broadcasts
               Ltd. ..............        396,239        315,451
    110,000 Young Broadcasting Inc.,
               Cl. A+ ............      2,713,685      1,448,700
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       22,309,330     19,602,548
                                   -------------- --------------
            AVIATION: PARTS AND SERVICES -- 1.2%
    101,320 Curtiss-Wright Corp.,
               Cl. B .............      5,582,889      6,312,236
     90,000 Fairchild Corp., Cl. A+     1,111,343        446,400
     55,000 Precision Castparts
               Corp. .............      1,018,343      1,333,750
     84,500 Sequa Corp., Cl. A+ ..      3,371,578      3,304,795
     78,000 Sequa Corp., Cl. B+ ..      4,068,661      3,490,500
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       15,152,814     14,887,681
                                   -------------- --------------
            ELECTRONICS -- 1.1%
    150,393 Agere Systems Inc.,
               Cl. B+ .............       512,493        210,550
    315,000 Cypress Semiconductor
               Corp.+ .............     2,107,295      1,801,800
      3,000 Hitachi Ltd., ADR .....       218,796        111,750
     18,000 Molex Inc., Cl. A .....       549,286        358,020
     11,500 Murata Manufacturing
               Co. Ltd. ...........       517,811        450,619
      7,500 NEC Corp., ADR ........        43,625         28,200
      6,000 Rohm Co. Ltd. .........       994,112        763,967
     38,800 Royal Philips Electronics
               NV, ADR ............        53,457        685,984
     47,000 Sony Corp., ADR .......     1,554,214      1,941,570
    200,000 Texas Instruments Inc.      5,075,340      3,002,000
    250,000 Thomas & Betts Corp.+ .     4,581,748      4,225,000
     13,400 Tokyo Electron Ltd. ...       672,183        606,371
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       16,880,360     14,185,831
                                   -------------- --------------
            AGRICULTURE -- 1.0%
  1,050,000 Archer-Daniels-Midland
               Co. ................    13,728,377     13,020,000
      5,000 Delta & Pine Land Co. .        84,396        102,050
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       13,812,773     13,122,050
                                   -------------- --------------
            SPECIALTY CHEMICALS -- 1.0%
      5,400 Ciba Specialty Chemicals,
               ADR ................        21,140        186,840
     10,000 du Pont de Nemours (E.I.)
               and Co. ............       327,500        424,000
    330,000 Ferro Corp. ...........     6,975,503      8,061,900
     40,000 Fuller (H.B.) Co. .....       968,437      1,035,200
    120,000 Hercules Inc.+ ........     1,543,119      1,056,000
     15,000 IVAX Corp.+ ...........       170,440        181,950
    210,000 Omnova Solutions Inc.+      1,767,940        846,300
      5,000 Rohm and Haas Co. .....       158,688        162,400
     11,697 Syngenta AG, ADR ......        22,129        134,750
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       11,954,896     12,089,340
                                   -------------- --------------

                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                       17

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                      PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS (CONTINUED)
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
            COMMON STOCKS (CONTINUED)
            BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION -- 0.7%
    100,500 CRH plc ...............$    1,259,458 $    1,239,152
     32,222 Huttig Building
               Products Inc.+ .....        81,163         91,833
     15,000 Martin Marietta
               Materials Inc. .....       322,687        459,900
    137,800 Nortek Holdings Inc.+ .     6,285,058      6,304,350
      5,000 Nortek Holdings Inc.,
               Special Common+ (a)         72,155        228,750
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        8,020,521      8,323,985
                                   -------------- --------------
            ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES -- 0.6%
     65,000 Republic Services Inc.+       875,761      1,363,700
    300,000 Waste Management Inc. .     6,690,206      6,876,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        7,565,967      8,239,700
                                   -------------- --------------
            PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS -- 0.5%
    100,000 MeadWestvaco Corp. ....     2,760,271      2,471,000
    170,000 Pactiv Corp.+ .........     1,775,756      3,716,200
     10,000 Rayonier Inc. .........       465,432        452,500
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        5,001,459      6,639,700
                                   -------------- --------------
            COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT -- 0.5%
     60,000 Acterna Corp.+ ........       209,121          9,600
    290,000 Allen Telecom Inc.+ ...     2,191,165      2,746,300
    525,000 Corning Inc.+ .........     5,185,332      1,737,750
    130,000 Lucent Technologies ...
               Inc.+ ..............       952,294        163,800
    120,000 Motorola Inc. .........     1,631,519      1,038,000
    100,000 Nortel Networks Corp.+        725,285        161,000
     44,000 Scientific-Atlanta Inc.       355,750        521,840
                                   -------------- --------------
                                       11,250,466      6,378,290
                                   -------------- --------------
            AUTOMOTIVE -- 0.5%
     20,000 Ford Motor Co. ........       490,840        186,000
    167,942 General Motors Corp. ..     5,307,581      6,190,342
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        5,798,421      6,376,342
                                   -------------- --------------
            BUSINESS SERVICES -- 0.5%
     60,000 ANC Rental Corp.+ .....       578,273          3,000
    180,000 Cendant Corp.+ ........     2,573,002      1,886,400
      1,000 CheckFree Corp.+ ......         9,040         16,001
     98,000 Landauer Inc. .........       634,307      3,405,500
     70,000 Nashua Corp.+ .........       634,028        614,600
    250,000 Securicor plc .........             0        341,101
      3,500 SYNAVANT Inc.+ ........        27,506          3,255
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        4,456,156      6,269,857
                                   -------------- --------------
            METALS AND MINING -- 0.4%
     72,500 Harmony Gold Mining
               Co. Ltd. ...........       347,738      1,242,056
     15,000 Harmony Gold Mining Co.
               Ltd., ADR ..........        79,800        252,150
    125,000 Newmont Mining Corp. ..     2,829,421      3,628,750
     50,000 Placer Dome Inc. ......       487,169        575,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        3,744,128      5,697,956
                                   -------------- --------------
            CLOSED END FUNDS -- 0.2%
     59,000 Central European Equity
               Fund Inc.+ .........       740,735        855,500
     18,592 France Growth Fund Inc.+      184,694        105,974
     54,150 Italy Fund Inc. .......       450,250        356,849
     68,000 New Germany Fund Inc.+        750,658        241,400
     70,000 Pimco RCM Europe ......
               Fund Inc.+ .........       512,662        429,800
     40,000 Royce Value Trust Inc.        466,533        530,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        3,105,532      2,519,523
                                   -------------- --------------

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
            SATELLITE -- 0.2%
    180,323 General Motors Corp.,
               Cl. H+ .............$    2,584,089 $    1,929,456
     34,000 Liberty Satellite & Technology
               Inc., Cl. A+ .......       900,012         90,100
    190,000 Loral Space &
               Communications Ltd.+       614,954         81,700
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        4,099,055      2,101,256
                                   -------------- --------------
            COMPUTER SOFTWARE AND SERVICES -- 0.1%
     20,000 Capcom Co. Ltd. .......       684,260        301,171
     10,000 Computer Associates ...
               International Inc. .       254,407        135,000
      5,000 Electronic Data .......
               Systems Corp. ......        69,661         92,150
    160,000 EMC Corp.+ ............     2,749,056        982,400
     20,000 Genuity Inc., Cl. A+ ..       136,779          1,800
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        3,894,163      1,512,521
                                   -------------- --------------
            TRANSPORTATION -- 0.1%
    100,000 AMR Corp.+ ............     1,924,248        660,000
     20,000 Grupo TMM SA de CV,
               Cl. A, ADR+ ........       203,299        103,000
      7,500 Kansas City Southern+ .        13,986         90,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        2,141,533        853,000
                                   -------------- --------------
            COMPUTER HARDWARE -- 0.0%
     26,000 Hewlett-Packard Co. ...       839,290        451,360
     10,000 Xerox Corp.+ ..........       108,625         80,500
                                   -------------- --------------
                                          947,915        531,860
                                   -------------- --------------
            TOTAL COMMON
              STOCKS .............. 1,091,517,570  1,094,277,783
                                   -------------- --------------
            PREFERRED STOCKS -- 2.5%
            PUBLISHING -- 1.4%
    770,494 News Corp. Ltd.,
               Pfd., ADR ..........    20,918,681     17,451,689
                                   -------------- --------------
            SPECIALTY CHEMICALS -- 0.5%
    280,500 Hercules Trust I,
               9.420% Pfd. ........     6,358,552      6,044,775
                                   -------------- --------------
            TELECOMMUNICATIONS -- 0.4%
     52,500 Allen Telecom Inc.,
               7.750% Cv. Pfd.,
               Ser. D .............     2,625,000      3,885,000
     31,000 Broadwing Inc.,
               6.750% Cv. Pfd.,
               Ser. B .............       986,633        651,000
     21,000 Citizens Communications Co.,
               5.000% Cv. Pfd. ....     1,020,698        997,500
        500 Lucent Technologies
               Capital Trust I,
               7.750% Cv. Pfd. ....       500,000        205,000
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        5,132,331      5,738,500
                                   -------------- --------------
            AEROSPACE -- 0.1%
     14,021 Northrop Grumman Corp.,
               7.000% Cv. Pfd.,
               Ser. B .............     1,633,727      1,729,630
                                   -------------- --------------
            BROADCASTING -- 0.1%
            90 Gray Television Inc.,
               8.000% Cv. Pfd.,
               Ser. C (a)(b) ......       900,000        918,000
    100,000 ProSieben Sat.1 Media
               AG, Pfd. ...........     1,043,352        682,078
                                   -------------- --------------
                                        1,943,352      1,600,078
                                   -------------- --------------

                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                       18

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                      PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS (CONTINUED)
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002

                                                     MARKET
    SHARES                              COST          VALUE
    ------                              ----         ------
            PREFERRED STOCKS (CONTINUED)
            AVIATION: PARTS AND SERVICES -- 0.0%
      3,000 Sequa Corp.,
               $5.00 Cv. Pfd. .....$      239,700 $      222,000
                                   -------------- --------------
            WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS -- 0.0%
 10,760,547 Telesp Celular Participacoes
               SA, Pfd.+ ..........        82,623         12,919
                                   -------------- --------------
            TOTAL PREFERRED
              STOCKS ..............    36,308,966     32,799,591
                                   -------------- --------------
  PRINCIPAL
   AMOUNT
   ------
            CORPORATE BONDS -- 0.5%
            ELECTRONICS -- 0.2%
$ 3,500,000 Agere Systems Inc.,
               Sub. Deb. Cv.,
               6.500%, 12/15/09 ...     3,500,000      2,743,125
                                   -------------- --------------
            AUTOMOTIVE: PARTS AND ACCESSORIES -- 0.1%
  1,400,000 Standard Motor Products Inc.,
               Sub. Deb. Cv.,
               6.750%, 07/15/09 ...     1,336,622      1,083,250
                                   -------------- --------------
            AVIATION: PARTS AND SERVICES -- 0.1%
    933,000 Kaman Corp., Sub. Deb. Cv.,
               6.000%, 03/15/12 ...       883,441        888,683
                                   -------------- --------------
            WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS -- 0.1%
    500,000 Nextel Communications Inc.,
               9.500%, 02/01/11 ...       351,900        452,500
                                   -------------- --------------
            HOTELS AND GAMING -- 0.0%
    400,000 Hilton Hotels Corp.,
               Sub. Deb. Cv.,
               5.000%, 05/15/06 ...       359,149        385,000
                                   -------------- --------------
            ENERGY AND UTILITIES -- 0.0%
  1,000,000 Mirant Corp., Sub. Deb. Cv.,
               2.500%, 06/15/21 ...       758,440        376,250
                                   -------------- --------------
            CABLE -- 0.0%
  1,300,000 Charter Communications Inc.,
               Cv.,
               4.750%, 06/01/06 ...       848,588        238,875
                                   -------------- --------------
            TOTAL CORPORATE
              BONDS ...............     8,038,140      6,167,683
                                   -------------- --------------
   SHARES
   ------
            WARRANTS -- 0.0%
            FOOD AND BEVERAGE -- 0.0%
     62,463 Denny's Corp.,
               expires 01/07/05+ ..       105,604            625
                                   -------------- --------------
            METALS AND MINING -- 0.0%
      5,000 Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd.,
               ADR, expires
               06/29/03+ ..........             0         62,500
                                   -------------- --------------
            TOTAL WARRANTS ........       105,604         63,125
                                   -------------- --------------
  PRINCIPAL
   AMOUNT
  ---------
             U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS -- 1.5%
  19,000,000 U.S. Treasury Bills,
               0.811%++, 01/09/03 .    18,996,622     18,996,622
                                   -------------- --------------
 PRINCIPAL                                           MARKET
  AMOUNT                                COST          VALUE
 ---------                              ----         ------
             REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS -- 10.1%
$100,000,000 Agreement with ABN Amro,
               1.050%, dated 12/31/02,
               due 01/02/03,
               proceeds at maturity
               $100,005,833 (c) ...$  100,000,000 $  100,000,000
  29,401,000 Agreement with State Street
               Bank & Trust Co., 1.050%,
               dated 12/31/02, due 01/02/03,
               proceeds at maturity
               $29,402,715 (c) ....    29,401,000     29,401,000
                                   -------------- --------------
             TOTAL REPURCHASE
               AGREEMENTS .........   129,401,000    129,401,000
                                   -------------- --------------
TOTAL INVESTMENTS -- 100.0% .......$1,284,367,902 $1,281,705,804
                                   ==============
OTHER LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF ASSETS ...........    (10,105,399)

PREFERRED STOCK
  (11,973,100 preferred shares outstanding) .....   (429,197,500)
                                                  --------------
NET ASSETS -- COMMON STOCK
  (134,059,967 common shares outstanding) ....... $  842,402,905
                                                  ==============
NET ASSET VALUE PER COMMON SHARE
   ($842,402,905 (DIVIDE) 134,059,967
   shares outstanding) ..........................          $6.28
                                                           =====
  PRINCIPAL                            SETTLEMENT NET UNREALIZED
   AMOUNT                                 DATE     APPRECIATION
  --------                             ---------- -------------
             FORWARD FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTRACTS
7,790,000(d) Deliver Hong Kong Dollars
              in exchange for
              USD 998,270 .............. 08/01/03 $          496
                                                  ==============
----------------
             For Federal tax purposes:
             Aggregate cost ..................... $1,290,492,415
                                                  ==============
             Gross unrealized appreciation ...... $  170,215,400
             Gross unrealized depreciation ......   (179,002,011)
                                                  --------------
             Net unrealized depreciation ........ $   (8,786,611)
                                                  ==============
---------------

(a)  Security  fair  valued  under  procedures   established  by  the  Board  of
     Directors.

(b)  Security exempt from registration  under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of
     1933, as amended.  These  securities may be resold in  transactions  exempt
     from registration,  normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December
     31, 2002, the market value of Rule 144A securities  amounted to $918,000 or
     0.1% of total investments.

(c)  Collateralized  by U.S. Treasury Notes,  8.000% to 8.875%,  due 02/15/19 to
     11/15/21, market value $130,001,475.

(d)  Principal amount denoted in Hong Kong Dollars.

+    Non-income producing security.

++   Represents annualized yield at date of purchase.

ADR - American Depository Receipt.
BDR - Brazilian Depository Receipt.
CVO - Contingent Value Obligation.
RNC - Non-Convertible Savings Shares.
USD - U.S. Dollars.

                                       % OF
                                      MARKET       MARKET
                                       VALUE        VALUE
                                      ------       ------
       GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSIFICATION
       United States .................. 84.1%  $1,077,918,136
       Europe ......................... 11.2      144,106,731
       Asia/Pacific Rim ...............  2.5       31,518,868
       Latin America ..................  1.1       14,439,750
       Canada .........................  1.0       12,228,113
       South Africa ...................  0.1        1,494,206
                                       -----   --------------
       Total Investments ..............100.0%  $1,281,705,804
                                       =====   ==============

                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                       19

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.

                       STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002

ASSETS:
  Investments, at value (Cost $1,284,367,902) ........   $ 1,281,705,804
  Cash and foreign currency, at value (Cost $1,374) ..             1,366
  Dividends and interest receivable ..................         1,817,432
  Receivable from investments sold ...................        37,026,380
  Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign
    exchange contracts ...............................               496
                                                         ---------------
  TOTAL ASSETS .......................................     1,320,551,478
                                                         ---------------
LIABILITIES:
  Payable for investments purchased ..................        37,824,243
  Dividends payable ..................................           406,825
  Unrealized depreciation on swap contract ...........         8,896,359
  Payable for investment advisory fees ...............           717,207
  Interest payable on swap contract ..................           319,953
  Payable to custodian ...............................            28,026
  Other accrued expenses and liabilities .............           758,460
                                                         ---------------
  TOTAL LIABILITIES ..................................        48,951,073
                                                         ---------------
PREFERRED STOCK:
  Series A Cumulative  Preferred Stock (7.25%, $25
    liquidation value, $0.001 par
    value, 8,000,000 shares authorized with
    5,367,900 shares issued and outstanding) .........       134,197,500
  Series B Cumulative Preferred Stock (7.20%, $25
    liquidation value, $0.001 par value,
    8,000,000 shares authorized with
    6,600,000 shares issued and outstanding) .........       165,000,000
  Series C Cumulative Preferred Stock (Auction Rate,
    $25,000 liquidation value, $0.001 par value,
    6,000 shares authorized with 5,200 shares
    issued and outstanding) ..........................       130,000,000
                                                         ---------------
  TOTAL PREFERRED STOCK ..............................       429,197,500
                                                         ---------------
  NET ASSETS ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON
    STOCK SHAREHOLDERS ...............................   $   842,402,905
                                                         ===============
NET ASSETS ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON
  STOCK SHAREHOLDERS CONSIST OF:
  Capital stock, at par value ........................   $       134,059
  Additional paid-in capital .........................       860,333,570
  Accumulated distributions in excess of
    net investment income ............................          (406,825)
  Accumulated distributions in excess of net realized
    gain on investments, options, future contracts and
    foreign currency transactions ....................        (6,124,513)
  Net unrealized depreciation on investments
    and foreign currency transactions ................       (11,533,386)
                                                         ---------------
  TOTAL NET ASSETS ...................................   $   842,402,905
                                                         ===============
  NET ASSET VALUE PER COMMON SHARE
    ($842,402,905 (DIVIDE) 134,059,967 shares
    outstanding; 183,994,000 shares
    authorized of $0.001 par value) ..................             $6.28
                                                                   =====

                             STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
                      FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2002

INVESTMENT INCOME:
  Dividends (net of foreign taxes of $657,597) .....   $  18,054,782
  Interest .........................................       3,626,158
                                                       -------------
  TOTAL INVESTMENT INCOME ..........................      21,680,940
                                                       -------------
EXPENSES:
  Investment advisory fees .........................       9,835,224
  Interest expense on swap contract (Note 2) .......       1,813,999
  Shareholder communications expenses ..............         447,246
  Shareholder services fees ........................         273,924
  Payroll ..........................................         309,668
  Directors' fees ..................................         143,619
  Custodian fees ...................................         176,741
  Legal and audit fees .............................         158,023
  Miscellaneous expenses ...........................         483,678
                                                       -------------
  TOTAL EXPENSES ...................................      13,642,122
                                                       -------------
  LESS: CUSTODIAN FEE CREDIT .......................          (5,768)
                                                       -------------
  NET EXPENSES .....................................      13,636,354
                                                       -------------
  NET INVESTMENT INCOME ............................       8,044,586
                                                       -------------
NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON
  INVESTMENTS, FUTURES CONTRACTS, SWAP CONTRACTS
  AND FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS:
  Net realized gain on investments and options
    134,196,334 Net realized gain on
  foreign currency  transactions ...................          23,259
  Net realized gain on futures  contracts
                                                           1,055,339
                                                       -------------
  Net realized gain on investments, futures
    contracts and foreign currency transactions ....     135,274,932
                                                       -------------
  Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation
    on investments, swap contracts
    and foreign currency transactions ..............    (348,434,576)
                                                       -------------
  NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED LOSS
    ON INVESTMENTS, FUTURES CONTRACTS, SWAP
    CONTRACTS AND FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS ....    (213,159,644)
                                                       -------------
  NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING
    FROM OPERATIONS ................................    (205,115,058)
                                                       -------------
  Total Distributions to Preferred
    Stock Shareholders .............................     (22,825,651)
                                                       -------------
  NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS ATTRIBUTABLE TO
    COMMON STOCK SHAREHOLDERS
    RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS ......................   $(227,940,709)
                                                       =============

                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                       20

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.

     STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON SHAREHOLDERS


                                                                              YEAR ENDED         YEAR ENDED
                                                                          DECEMBER 31, 2002  DECEMBER 31, 2001
                                                                          -----------------  -----------------
                                                                                        
OPERATIONS:
  Net investment income ................................................   $     8,044,586    $     9,816,147
  Net realized gain on investments, options, futures contracts
    and foreign currency transactions ..................................       135,274,932        144,016,946
  Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments,
    swap contracts and foreign currency transactions ...................      (348,434,576)      (171,507,313)
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
  NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS .................      (205,115,058)       (17,674,220)
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
DISTRIBUTIONS TO PREFERRED STOCK SHAREHOLDERS:
  Net investment income ................................................        (1,241,220)        (1,001,064)
  Net realized short-term gain on investments, options,
    futures contracts and foreign currency transactions ................          (375,336)          (929,028)
  Net realized long-term gain on investments, options,
    futures contracts and foreign currency transactions ................       (21,209,095)       (13,938,133)
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
  TOTAL DISTRIBUTIONS TO PREFERRED STOCK SHAREHOLDERS ..................       (22,825,651)       (15,868,225)
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
  NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON STOCK SHAREHOLDERS
    RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS ..........................................      (227,940,709)       (33,542,445)
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
DISTRIBUTIONS TO COMMON STOCK SHAREHOLDERS:
  Net investment income ................................................        (6,579,486)        (8,582,562)
  Net realized short-term gain on investments, options,
    futures contracts and foreign currency transactions ................        (2,051,189)        (8,156,865)
  Net realized long-term gain on investments, options,
    futures contracts and foreign currency transactions ................      (115,905,914)      (121,720,695)
  Return of capital ....................................................          (218,677)              --
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
  TOTAL DISTRIBUTIONS TO COMMON STOCK SHAREHOLDERS .....................      (124,755,266)      (138,460,122)
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
TRUST SHARE TRANSACTIONS:
  Net increase in net assets from common shares issued upon reinvestment
    of dividends and distributions and rights offering .................        30,727,869        159,803,359
  Offering costs for preferred shares charged to paid-in capital .......        (1,800,000)        (5,670,825)
  Net increase in net assets from repurchase of preferred stock ........              --                  130
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
  NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM TRUST SHARE TRANSACTIONS .............        28,927,869        154,132,664
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
  NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON STOCK SHAREHOLDERS .      (323,768,106)       (17,869,903)
NET ASSETS ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON STOCK SHAREHOLDERS:
  Beginning of period ..................................................     1,166,171,011      1,184,040,914
                                                                           ---------------    ---------------
  End of period ........................................................   $   842,402,905    $ 1,166,171,011
                                                                           ===============    ===============


                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                        21

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                          NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.  ORGANIZATION.  The  Gabelli  Equity  Trust Inc.  (the  "Equity  Trust") is a
closed-end,   non-diversified  management  investment  company  organized  as  a
Maryland corporation on May 20, 1986 and registered under the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"),  whose primary  objective is long-term
growth of capital.  The Equity  Trust had no  operations  until August 11, 1986,
when it sold 10,696 shares of common stock to Gabelli Funds, LLC (the "Adviser")
for $100,008. Investment operations commenced on August 21, 1986.

      Effective  August 1, 2002, the Equity Trust  modified its  non-fundamental
investment  policy to increase,  from 65% to 80%, the portion of its assets that
it will invest,  under normal market  conditions in equity  securities (the "80%
Policy").  The 80% Policy may be changed without shareholder approval.  However,
the Equity Trust has adopted a policy to provide  shareholders  with at least 60
days' notice of the implementation of any change in the 80% Policy.

2. SIGNIFICANT  ACCOUNTING POLICIES.  The preparation of financial statements in
accordance with generally accepted accounting  principles requires management to
make estimates and assumptions  that affect the reported amounts and disclosures
in the financial  statements.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.
The following is a summary of significant  accounting  policies  followed by the
Equity Trust in the preparation of its financial statements.

      SECURITY VALUATION.  Portfolio securities listed or traded on a nationally
recognized securities exchange, quoted by the National Association of Securities
Dealers   Automated   Quotations,   Inc.   ("Nasdaq")  or  traded  in  the  U.S.
over-the-counter  market for which market  quotations are readily  available are
valued at the last quoted sale price on that  exchange or market as of the close
of business on the day the securities  are being valued.  If there were no sales
that day,  the  security  is valued at the  average of the closing bid and asked
prices or, if there were no asked prices  quoted on that day,  then the security
is valued at the closing  bid price on that day.  If no bid or asked  prices are
quoted on such day, the security is valued at the most recently  available price
or, if the Board of Directors so  determines,  by such other method as the Board
of Directors  shall  determine in good faith,  to reflect its fair market value.
Portfolio  securities  traded on more than one national  securities  exchange or
market are valued according to the broadest and most  representative  market, as
determined by Gabelli Funds, LLC (the "Adviser"). Portfolio securities primarily
traded in foreign markets are generally  valued at the preceding  closing values
of such  securities on their  respective  exchanges or markets.  Securities  and
assets for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at their
fair value as determined in good faith under procedures established by and under
the general  supervision of the Board of Directors.  Short term debt  securities
with  remaining  maturities  of 60 days or less are  valued at  amortized  cost,
unless the Board of Directors  determines  such does not reflect the  securities
fair value, in which case these securities will be valued at their fair value as
determined by the Board of Directors. Debt instruments having a maturity greater
than 60 days for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the
latest average of the bid and asked prices. If there were no asked prices quoted
on such day,  the  security  is valued  using the closing bid price on that day.
Options  are  valued at the last sale  price on the  exchange  on which they are
listed.  If no sales of such  options  have taken  place that day,  they will be
valued at the mean between their closing bid and asked prices.

      REPURCHASE  AGREEMENTS.   The  Equity  Trust  may  enter  into  repurchase
agreements with primary government  securities dealers recognized by the Federal
Reserve  Bank of New York,  with member banks of the Federal  Reserve  System or
with other  brokers or dealers that meet credit  guidelines  established  by the
Adviser  and  reviewed by the Board of  Directors.  Under the terms of a typical
repurchase  agreement,  the Equity Trust takes  possession of an underlying debt
obligation subject to an obligation of the seller to repurchase,  and the Equity
Trust to  resell,  the  obligation  at an  agreed-upon  price and time,  thereby
determining the yield during the Equity Trust's holding period. The Equity Trust
will always  receive and maintain  securities as collateral  whose market value,
including accrued interest,  will be at least equal to 102% of the dollar amount
invested  by the Equity  Trust in each  agreement.  The  Equity  Trust will make
payment for such securities only upon physical delivery or upon evidence of book
entry transfer of the collateral to the account of the custodian.  To the extent
that any  repurchase  transaction  exceeds one  business  day,  the value of the
collateral is  marked-to-market on a daily basis to maintain the adequacy of the
collateral.  If the seller defaults and the value of the collateral  declines or
if  bankruptcy  proceedings  are  commenced  with  respect  to the seller of the
security,  realization  of the  collateral by the Equity Trust may be delayed or
limited.

      SWAP AGREEMENTS. The Equity Trust may enter into interest rate swap or cap
transactions.  The use of interest  rate swaps and caps is a highly  specialized
activity that involves  investment  techniques  and risks  different  from those
associated with ordinary  portfolio security  transactions.  In an interest rate
swap,  the Equity  Trust would  agree to pay to the other party to the  interest
rate  swap  (which is known as the  "counterparty")  periodically  a fixed  rate
payment in exchange  for the  counterparty  agreeing to pay to the Equity  Trust
periodically a variable rate payment that is intended to approximate  the Equity
Trust's variable rate payment  obligation on the Series C Preferred Stock. In an
interest rate cap, the Equity Trust would pay a premium to the interest rate cap
to the  counterparty  and, to the extent that a  specified  variable  rate index
exceeds a predetermined fixed rate, would receive from the counterparty payments
of the difference  based on the notional amount of such cap.  Interest rate swap
and cap  transactions  introduce  additional risk because the Equity Trust would
remain  obligated to pay preferred  stock  dividends when due in accordance with
the Articles Supplementary even if the counterparty defaulted.  Depending on the
general state of short-term interest rates and the returns on the Equity Trust's
portfolio  securities  at that point in time,

                                        22

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                    NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

such a default  could  negatively  affect  the  Equity  Trust's  ability to make
dividend payments for the Series C Preferred Stock. In addition,  at the time an
interest rate swap or cap transaction  reaches its scheduled  termination  date,
there is a risk that the Equity  Trust will not be able to obtain a  replacement
transaction or that the terms of the replacement  will not be as favorable as on
the expiring transaction. If this occurs, it could have a negative impact on the
Equity  Trust's  ability to make  dividend  payments  on the Series C  Preferred
Stock.

      The Trust has entered into one interest rate swap  agreement with Citibank
N.A. Under the agreement the Trust receives a floating rate of interest and pays
a respective fixed rate of interest on the nominal value of the swap. Details of
the swap at December 31, 2002 are as follows:

    NOTIONAL                    FLOATING RATE*      TERMINATION     UNREALIZED
     AMOUNT      FIXED RATE  (RATE RESET MONTHLY)      DATE        DEPRECIATION
    --------     ----------  --------------------   -----------    ------------
  $130,000,000     4.494%           1.43875%       July 1, 2007     $(8,896,359)

--------------
*Based on Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate).

      FUTURES  CONTRACTS.  The Equity Trust may engage in futures  contracts for
the purpose of hedging against changes in the value of its portfolio  securities
and in the value of securities  it intends to purchase.  Such  investments  will
only be made if they are  economically  appropriate  to the  reduction  of risks
involved in the management of the Equity Trust's investments. Upon entering into
a futures  contract,  the Equity Trust is required to deposit with the broker an
amount of cash or cash equivalents equal to a certain percentage of the contract
amount. This is known as the "initial margin."  Subsequent payments  ("variation
margin")  are made or received by the Equity  Trust each day,  depending  on the
daily  fluctuation  of the  value of the  contract.  The  daily  changes  in the
contract are included in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and
futures contracts.  The Equity Trust recognizes a realized gain or loss when the
contract is closed. There were no open futures contracts at December 31, 2002.

      There are several risks in connection with the use of futures contracts as
a hedging device. The change in value of futures contracts primarily corresponds
with the value of their underlying instruments, which may not correlate with the
change in value of the hedged  investments.  In addition,  there is the risk the
Equity Trust may not be able to enter into a closing  transaction  because of an
illiquid secondary market.

      FORWARD FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTRACTS. The Equity Trust may engage in forward
foreign  exchange  contracts for hedging a specific  transaction with respect to
either the currency in which the transaction is denominated or another  currency
as deemed  appropriate by the Adviser.  Forward foreign  exchange  contracts are
valued at the forward rate and are marked-to-market  daily. The change in market
value is included in unrealized  appreciation/depreciation  on  investments  and
foreign  currency  transactions.  When the contract is closed,  the Equity Trust
records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the
contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed.

      The  use  of  forward  foreign  exchange   contracts  does  not  eliminate
fluctuations  in  the  underlying   prices  of  the  Equity  Trust's   portfolio
securities, but it does establish a rate of exchange that can be achieved in the
future.  Although forward foreign exchange  contracts limit the risk of loss due
to a decline in the value of the hedged currency,  they also limit any potential
gain/(loss)  that might  result  should the value of the currency  increase.  In
addition,  the Equity Trust could be exposed to risks if the  counterparties  to
the contracts are unable to meet the terms of their contracts.

      FOREIGN  CURRENCY  TRANSLATION.  The books and records of the Equity Trust
are maintained in United States (U.S.) dollars. Foreign currencies,  investments
and other  assets  and  liabilities  are  translated  into U.S.  dollars  at the
exchange rates  prevailing at the end of the period,  and purchases and sales of
investment  securities,  income and expenses are translated at the exchange rate
prevailing on the respective  dates of such  transactions.  Unrealized gains and
losses,  which result from changes in foreign  exchange  rates and/or changes in
market    prices   of    securities,    have   been   included   in   unrealized
appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency transactions.  Net
realized  foreign  currency gains and losses  resulting from changes in exchange
rates  include  foreign  currency  gains  and  losses  between  trade  date  and
settlement  date  on  investment  securities   transactions,   foreign  currency
transactions  and the  difference  between the amounts of interest and dividends
recorded on the books of the Equity Trust and the amounts actually received. The
portion of foreign  currency gains and losses related to fluctuation in exchange
rates between the initial trade date and subsequent  sale trade date is included
in realized gain/(loss) on investments.

      SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS AND INVESTMENT INCOME. Securities transactions are
accounted  for as of the trade date with  realized  gain or loss on  investments
determined  by using the  identified  cost method.  Interest  income  (including
amortization  of premium  and  accretion  of  discount)  is  recorded as earned.
Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date.

      DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS. Distributions to shareholders
are recorded on the  ex-dividend  date.  Distributions  to  shareholders  of the
Equity Trust's 7.25% Tax Advantaged Series A Cumulative  Preferred Stock,  7.20%
Tax  Advantaged  Series B Cumulative  Preferred  Stock and Series C Auction Rate
Cumulative Preferred Stock ("Cumulative Preferred Stock") are accrued on a daily
basis and are determined as described in Note 5.

                                        23

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                    NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

      Income  distributions  and capital gain  distributions  are  determined in
accordance with Federal income tax regulations  which may differ from accounting
principles  generally  accepted  in the United  States.  These  differences  are
primarily due to differing  treatments of income and gains on various investment
securities  held  by  the  Equity  Trust,   timing   differences  and  differing
characterization of distributions made by the Equity Trust.

      For the year  ended  December  31,  2002,  reclassifications  were made to
increase  accumulated  distributions  in excess  of net  investment  income  for
$364,192 and decrease  accumulated  distributions in excess of net realized gain
on investments,  options, future contracts and foreign currency transactions for
$114,892 with an offsetting adjustment to additional paid-in capital.

      The tax  character  of  distributions  paid  during the fiscal  year ended
December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2001 were as follows:


                                                YEAR ENDED                             YEAR ENDED
                                            DECEMBER 31, 2002                      DECEMBER 31, 2001
                                      -----------------------------         ------------------------------
                                        COMMON           PREFERRED            COMMON            PREFERRED
                                      ------------      -----------         ------------       -----------
                                                                                    
 DISTRIBUTIONS PAID FROM:
 Ordinary income
   (Inclusive of short
   term capital gain) ................$  8,877,226      $ 1,616,556         $ 16,764,177       $ 1,930,092
 Net long term capital gain .......... 115,659,363       21,209,095          121,695,945        13,938,133
 Non-taxable return of capital .......     218,677               --                   --                --
                                      ------------      -----------         ------------       -----------
 Total distribution paid .............$124,755,266      $22,825,651         $138,460,122       $15,868,225
                                      ============      ===========         ============       ===========

      PROVISION  FOR INCOME  TAXES.  The Equity  Trust  intends to  continue  to
qualify as a regulated  investment  company  under  Subchapter M of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. As a result, a Federal income tax provision is
not required.

      As of December 31, 2002, the  components of accumulated  earnings/(losses)
on a tax basis were as follows:

                 Net unrealized depreciation .........  $(17,657,899)
                 Other ...............................      (406,825)
                                                        ------------
                 Total accumulated loss ..............  $(18,064,724)
                                                        ============

      Other is primarily due to dividends payable on preferred stock at December
31, 2002.

3. AGREEMENTS AND  TRANSACTIONS  WITH  AFFILIATES.  The Equity Trust has entered
into an  investment  advisory  agreement  (the  "Advisory  Agreement")  with the
Adviser  which  provides  that the  Equity  Trust  will pay the  Adviser  a fee,
computed weekly and paid monthly, equal on an annual basis to 1.00% of the value
of the  Equity  Trust's  average  weekly net assets  plus  liquidation  value of
preferred stock. In accordance with the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides
a continuous  investment  program for the Equity Trust's  portfolio and oversees
the  administration  of all aspects of the Equity Trust's  business and affairs.
The Adviser has agreed to reduce the  management fee on the  incremental  assets
attributable  to the Cumulative  Preferred  Stock if the total return of the net
asset value of the common  shares of the Equity Trust,  including  distributions
and advisory fee subject to reduction,  does not exceed the stated dividend rate
or corresponding swap rate of the Cumulative Preferred Stock. For the year ended
December 31, 2002, the Equity Trust's total return on the net asset value of the
common  shares  did not  exceed  the  stated  dividend  rate  of the  Cumulative
Preferred  Stock.  Thus, such management fees were not earned on the incremental
assets.

      During the year ended December 31, 2002,  Gabelli & Company,  Inc. and its
affiliates  received $337,437 in brokerage  commissions as a result of executing
agency transactions in portfolio securities on behalf of the Equity Trust.

      The cost of  calculating  the Trust's net asset value per share is a Trust
expense pursuant to the Investment  Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the
Adviser.  During fiscal 2002,  the Gabelli  Equity Trust  reimbursed the Adviser
$34,800 in connection with the cost of computing the Trust's net asset value.

4.  PORTFOLIO  SECURITIES.   Cost  of  purchases  and  proceeds  from  sales  of
securities,  other than short-term  securities,  for the year ended December 31,
2002 aggregated  $403,144,988 and $327,000,473,  respectively.

5. CAPITAL. The Articles of Incorporation, dated May 19, 1986, permit the Equity
Trust to issue 183,994,000 shares of common stock (par value $0.001).  The Board
of Directors of the Equity Trust has  authorized the repurchase of its shares on
the open  market  when the shares are  trading at a discount  of 10% or more (or
such other percentage as the Board of Directors may determine from time to time)
from the net asset value of the shares. During the year ended December 31, 2002,
the Equity Trust did not  repurchase  any shares of its common stock in the open
market.

      On January 10, 2001, the Equity Trust  distributed one transferable  right
for each of the 108,688,408  common shares outstanding to shareholders of record
on that date. Six rights were required to purchase one  additional  common share
at the subscription price of $7.00 per share. The subscription period expired on
February 13, 2001.  The rights  offering was fully  subscribed  resulting in the
issuance of 18,114,735  common shares and proceeds of $126,803,145 to the Equity
Trust, prior to the deduction of estimated  expenses of $500,000.  The net asset
value  per  share  of the  Equity  Trust  common  shareholders  was  reduced  by
approximately $0.62 per share as a result of the issuance.

                                        24

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                    NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

      Transactions in common stock were as follows:


                                                        YEAR ENDED                     YEAR ENDED
                                                     DECEMBER 31, 2002              DECEMBER 31, 2001
                                                 ------------------------      ------------------------
                                                   Shares        Amount           Shares       Amount
                                                 ---------    -----------      ----------  ------------
                                                                               
Shares issued in rights offering ................       --             --      18,114,735  $126,303,145
Shares issued upon reinvestment
  of dividends and distributions ................3,992,168    $30,727,869       3,264,654    33,500,214
                                                 ---------    -----------      ----------  ------------
Net increase ....................................3,992,168    $30,727,869      21,379,389  $159,803,359
                                                 =========    ===========      ==========  ============

      The holders of Cumulative Preferred Stock have voting rights equivalent to
those of the holders of common stock (one vote per share) and will vote together
with holders of shares of common stock as a single class. In addition,  the 1940
Act  requires  that along with  approval  of a majority of the holders of common
stock,  approval  of a  majority  of the  holders of any  outstanding  shares of
Cumulative  Preferred Stock,  voting separately as a class, would be required to
(a) adopt any plan of reorganization  that would adversely affect the Cumulative
Preferred Stock,  and (b) take any action requiring a vote of security  holders,
including,  among other things,  changes in the Trust's  subclassification  as a
closed-end   investment  company  or  changes  in  its  fundamental   investment
restrictions.  The  Equity  Trust's  Articles  of  Incorporation,   as  amended,
authorize the issuance of up to 16,006,000 shares of $0.001 par value Cumulative
Preferred  Stock.  The Cumulative  Preferred Stock is senior to the common stock
and results in the financial  leveraging of the common  stock.  Such  leveraging
tends to  magnify  both the risks  and  opportunities  to  common  shareholders.
Dividends on shares of the Cumulative Preferred Stock are cumulative. The Equity
Trust is required to meet certain asset  coverage  tests as required by the 1940
Act and by the Shares'  Articles  Supplementary  with respect to the  Cumulative
Preferred  Stock. If the Equity Trust fails to meet these  requirements and does
not correct such failure, the Equity Trust may be required to redeem, in part or
in full, the 7.25% Series A, 7.20% Series B and Series C Auction Rate Cumulative
Preferred Stock at a redemption price of $25, $25 and $25,000, respectively, per
share plus an amount equal to the  accumulated and unpaid  dividends  whether or
not declared on such shares in order to meet these  requirements.  Additionally,
failure to meet the  foregoing  asset  requirements  could  restrict  the Equity
Trust's ability to pay dividends to common  shareholders and could lead to sales
of portfolio  securities at inopportune times. The income received on the Equity
Trust's assets may vary in a manner  unrelated to the fixed and variable  rates,
which could have either a beneficial  or  detrimental  impact on net  investment
income and gains available to common shareholders.

      Under  Emerging  Issues  Task  Force  (EITF)   promulgating   Topic  D-98,
CLASSIFICATION  AND  MEASUREMENT OF REDEEMABLE  SECURITIES,  which was issued on
July 19, 2001, preferred securities that are redeemable for cash or other assets
are to be  classified  outside  of  permanent  equity  to the  extent  that  the
redemption is at a fixed or  determinable  price and at the option of the holder
or upon the  occurrence of an event that is not solely within the control of the
issuer.  Subject to the  guidance  of the EITF,  the Equity  Trust's  Cumulative
Preferred Stock,  which was previously  classified as a component of net assets,
has been  reclassified  outside of permanent equity (net assets  attributable to
common stock shareholders) in the accompanying financial statements.  Prior year
amounts  have also been  reclassified  to conform  with this  presentation.  The
impact of this reclassification creates no change to the net assets available to
common shareholders.

      Commencing June 9, 2003 and  thereafter,  the Equity Trust, at its option,
may redeem the 7.25% Series A Cumulative  Preferred Stock in whole or in part at
the redemption price.  During the year ended December 31, 2002, the Equity Trust
did not  repurchase  any shares of 7.25%  Series A Cumulative  Preferred  Stock.
During the year ended  December 31, 2001,  the Equity  Trust  repurchased  1,000
shares of 7.25% Series A Cumulative  Preferred Stock at a cost of $24,870 and at
an average price of $24.87 per share. At December 31, 2002,  5,367,900 shares of
the 7.25%  Series A Cumulative  Preferred  Stock were  outstanding  at the fixed
dividend  rate of 7.25  percent  per share and  accrued  dividends  amounted  to
$162,155.

      On June 20, 2001, the Equity Trust  received net proceeds of  $159,329,175
(after  underwriting  discounts of $5,197,500 and estimated offering expenses of
$473,325)  from the  public  offering  of  6,600,000  shares  of 7.20%  Series B
Cumulative Preferred Stock. Commencing June 20, 2006 and thereafter,  the Equity
Trust, at its option,  may redeem the 7.20% Series B Cumulative  Preferred Stock
in whole or in part at the redemption price.  During the year ended December 31,
2002 and the year ended  December 31, 2001,  the Equity Trust did not repurchase
any shares of 7.20% Series B Cumulative  Preferred  Stock. At December 31, 2002,
6,600,000  shares  of  the  7.20%  Series  B  Cumulative  Preferred  Stock  were
outstanding  at the fixed rate of 7.20  percent per share and accrued  dividends
amounted to $198,000.

      On June 27, 2002, the Equity Trust  received net proceeds of  $128,200,000
(after  underwriting  discounts of $1,300,000 and estimated offering expenses of
$500,000)  from the public  offering  of 5,200  shares of Series C Auction  Rate
Cumulative  Preferred  Stock.  The dividend rate, as set by the auction process,
which is  generally  held  every 7 days,  is  expected  to vary with  short-term
interest rates.  Existing  shareholders may submit an order to hold, bid or sell
such shares on each auction  date.  Series C Auction Rate  Cumulative  Preferred
Stock  shareholders  may also trade shares in the secondary  market.  The Equity
Trust, at its option, may redeem the Series C Auction Rate Cumulative  Preferred
Stock in whole or in part at the redemption  price at any time.  During the year
ended  December 31,  2002,  the Equity  Trust did not  repurchase  any shares of
Series C Auction Rate Cumulative  Preferred  Stock. At December 31, 2002,  5,200
shares of the Series C Auction Rate Cumulative  Preferred Stock were outstanding
at the annual rate of 1.65 percent per share and accrued  dividends  amounted to
$0.00.
                                        25

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                              FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

SELECTED DATA FOR AN EQUITY TRUST COMMON SHARE OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT EACH
PERIOD:


                                                                                         YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                                     -----------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                       
OPERATING PERFORMANCE:                                                2002(A)     2001(A)      2000(A)     1999(A)      1998(A)
                                                                     ---------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
  Net asset value, beginning of period .............................$     8.97  $    10.89   $    12.75  $     11.47  $    11.56
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
  Net investment income ............................................      0.06        0.08         0.05         0.04        0.07
  Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments ...........     (1.64)      (0.16)       (0.51)        3.25        1.09
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
  Total from investment operations .................................     (1.58)      (0.08)       (0.46)        3.29        1.16
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
DISTRIBUTIONS TO PREFERRED STOCK SHAREHOLDERS:
  Net investment income ............................................     (0.01)      (0.01)       (0.00)(c)    (0.00)(c)   (0.00)(c)
  Net realized gain on investments .................................     (0.16)      (0.11)       (0.09)       (0.09)      (0.05)
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
  Total distributions to preferred stock shareholders ..............     (0.17)      (0.12)       (0.09)       (0.09)      (0.05)
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
  NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS
    ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON STOCK
    SHAREHOLDERS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS .........................     (1.75)      (0.20)       (0.55)        3.20        1.11
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
DISTRIBUTIONS TO COMMON STOCK SHAREHOLDERS:
  Net investment income ............................................     (0.05)      (0.06)       (0.04)       (0.03)(b)   (0.06)
  Net realized gain on investments .................................     (0.90)      (1.02)       (1.27)       (1.21)(b)   (1.10)
  Paid-in capital ..................................................     (0.00)(c)      --           --        (0.68)(b)      --
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
  Total distributions to common stock shareholders .................     (0.95)      (1.08)       (1.31)       (1.92)      (1.16)
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS:
  Increase in net asset value from common stock share transactions .      0.02         0.03          --           --          --
  Decrease in net asset value from shares issued in rights offering         --        (0.62)         --           --          --
  Offering costs for preferred shares charged to paid-in capital ...     (0.01)       (0.05)         --           --       (0.04)
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
  Total capital share transactions .................................      0.01       (0.64)          --           --       (0.04)
                                                                    ----------  ----------   ----------  -----------  ----------
  NET ASSET VALUE ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON STOCK SHAREHOLDERS,
    END OF PERIOD ..................................................$     6.28  $     8.97   $    10.89  $     12.75  $    11.47
                                                                    ==========  ==========   ==========  ===========  ==========
  Net asset value total return + ...................................    (21.00)%     (3.68)%      (4.39)%      29.49%       9.55%
                                                                    ==========  ==========   ==========  ===========  ==========
  Market value, end of period ......................................$     6.85  $    10.79   $    11.44  $     12.56  $    11.56
                                                                    ==========  ==========   ==========  ===========  ==========
  Total investment return ++ .......................................    (28.36)%     10.32%        1.91%       26.57%       9.23%
                                                                    ==========  ==========   ==========  ===========  ==========
RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
  Net assets including liquidation value of preferred shares,
    end of period (in 000's) .......................................$1,271,600  $1,465,369   $1,318,263  $ 1,503,641  $1,352,190
  Net assets attributable to common shares,
    end of period (in 000's) .......................................$  842,403  $1,166,171   $1,184,041  $ 1,368,981  $1,217,190
  Ratio of net investment income to average net assets
    attributable to common shares ..................................      0.81%       0.81%        0.42%        0.34%       0.60%
  Ratio of operating expenses to average net assets
    attributable to common shares (e)(g) ...........................      1.37%       1.12%        1.14%        1.27%       1.15%
  Ratio of operating expenses to average total net assets
    including liquidation value of preferred shares (e)(g) .........      1.00%       0.95%        1.03%        1.15%       1.09%
  Portfolio turnover rate ..........................................      27.1%       23.9%        32.1%        38.0%       39.8%
PREFERRED STOCK:
  7.25% CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK
  Liquidation value, end of period (in 000's) ......................$  134,198  $  134,198   $  134,223  $   134,660  $  135,000
  Total shares outstanding (in 000's) ..............................     5,368       5,368        5,369        5,386       5,400
  Liquidation preference per share .................................$    25.00  $    25.00   $    25.00  $     25.00  $    25.00
  Average market value (d) .........................................$    25.75  $    25.39   $    22.62  $     24.43  $    25.63
  7.20% CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK
  Liquidation value, end of period (in 000's) ......................$  165,000  $  165,000           --           --          --
  Total shares outstanding (in 000's) ..............................     6,600       6,600           --           --          --
  Liquidation preference per share .................................$    25.00  $    25.00           --           --          --
  Average market value (d) .........................................$    26.40  $    25.60           --           --          --
  AUCTION RATE CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK
  Liquidation value, end of period (in 000's) ......................$  130,000          --           --           --          --
  Total shares outstanding (in 000's) ..............................         5          --           --           --          --
  Liquidation preference per share .................................$   25,000          --           --           --          --
  Average market value (d) .........................................$   25,000          --           --           --
  ASSET COVERAGE (f) ...............................................       296%        490%         982%       1,117%      1,001%
  ASSET COVERAGE PER SHARE (f) .....................................$   106.20  $   122.44   $   245.54  $    279.16  $   250.41

--------------------------

+   Based  on  net  asset  value  per  share,   adjusted  for   reinvestment  of
    distributions,  including  the effect of shares  issued  pursuant  to rights
    offering, assuming full subscription by shareholder.

++  Based on market value per share, adjusted for reinvestment of distributions,
    including the effect of shares issued pursuant to rights offering,  assuming
    full subscription by shareholder.

(a) Per share  amounts have been  calculated  using the monthly  average  shares
    outstanding method.

(b) A distribution  equivalent to $0.75 per share for The Gabelli  Utility Trust
    spin-off from net investment  income,  realized  short-term gains,  realized
    long-term gains, and paid-in-capital were $0.01029,  $0.07453,  $0.34218 and
    $0.32300, respectively.

c)  Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.

(d) Based on weekly prices.

(e) The ratios do not include a reduction of expenses for  custodian fee credits
    on cash balances maintained with the custodian. Including such custodian fee
    credits for the years ended  December 31, 2002,  2001 and 2000,  the expense
    ratios of operating  expenses to average net assets  attributable  to common
    stock would be 1.37%, 1.11% and 1.14%, respectively,  and the expense ratios
    of  operating  expenses to average  total net assets  including  liquidation
    value of preferred shares would be 1.00%, 0.94% and 1.03%, respectively.

(f) Asset coverage is calculated by combining all series of preferred stock.

(g) The Trust incurred interest expense during the year ended December 31, 2002.
    If interest  expense had not been  incurred,  the expense ratio of operating
    expenses to average net assets  attributable  to common stock would be 1.19%
    and the expense  ratio of  operating  expenses  to average  total net assets
    including liquidation value of preferred shares would be 0.87%.

                See accompanying notes to financial statements.

                                       26

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                        REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of
The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc.

In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities,  including
the portfolio of  investments,  and the related  statements of operations and of
changes  in net assets  and the  financial  highlights  present  fairly,  in all
material respects,  the financial position of The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc. (the
"Trust") at December 31, 2002,  the results of its  operations for the year then
ended,  the  changes  in its net  assets for each of the two years in the period
then ended and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period
then ended, in conformity with accounting  principles  generally accepted in the
United States of America.  These financial  statements and financial  highlights
(hereafter referred to as "financial  statements") are the responsibility of the
Trust's  management;  our  responsibility  is to  express  an  opinion  on these
financial  statements  based on our  audits.  We  conducted  our audits of these
financial statements in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in
the United  States of America,  which require that we plan and perform the audit
to obtain reasonable  assurance about whether the financial  statements are free
of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and  disclosures in the financial  statements,  assessing
the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and
evaluating the overall  financial  statement  presentation.  We believe that our
audits,  which  included  confirmation  of  securities  at December  31, 2002 by
correspondence  with the custodian and brokers,  provide a reasonable  basis for
our opinion.

                                                  /S/ PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP

1177 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
February 13, 2003

                                       27

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                     ADDITIONAL FUND INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)

      The business and affairs of the Trust are managed  under the  direction of
the Trust's  Board of  Directors.  Information  pertaining  to the Directors and
officers of the Trust is set forth below.  The Trust's  Statement of  Additional
Information includes additional  information about The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc.
Directors and is available, without charge, upon request, by calling 800-GABELLI
(800-422-3554)  or by writing to The Gabelli  Equity Trust Inc. at One Corporate
Center, Rye, NY 10580.


                         TERM OF    NUMBER OF
                       OFFICE AND FUNDS IN FUND
NAME, POSITION(S)       LENGTH OF    COMPLEX
   ADDRESS 1              TIME     OVERSEEN BY      PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S)                             OTHER DIRECTORSHIPS
    AND AGE             SERVED 2    DIRECTOR        DURING PAST FIVE YEARS                               HELD BY DIRECTOR
----------------        ---------- ------------     ----------------------                              ------------------
INTERESTED DIRECTORS 3:
----------------------
                                                                                     
MARIO J. GABELLI       Since 1986**   22       Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive         Director of Morgan Group
Director, President and                        Officer of Gabelli Asset Management Inc. and      Holdings, Inc. (holding
Chief Investment Office                        Chief Investment Officer of Gabelli Funds,        company); Vice Chairman
Age: 60                                        LLC and GAMCO Investors, Inc.;                    of Lynch Corporation
                                               Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of           (diversified manufacturing)
                                               Lynch Interactive Corporation (multimedia
                                               and services)

KARL OTTO POHL          Since 1992*   31       Member of the Shareholder Committee of Sal        Director of Gabelli Asset
Director                                       Oppenheim Jr. & Cie (private investment           Management Inc. (investment
Age: 73                                        bank); Former President of the                    management); Chairman, Incentive
                                               Deutsche Bundesbank and Chairman of its           Capital and Incentive Asset
                                               Central Bank Council (1980-1991)                  Management (Zurich); Director
                                                                                                 at Sal Oppenheim Jr. & Cie, Zurich

NON-INTERESTED DIRECTORS:
-----------------------
THOMAS E. BRATTER      Since 1986**    3       Director, President and Founder, The John                    --
Director                                       Dewey Academy (residential college
Age: 63                                        preparatory therapeutic high school)

ANTHONY J. COLAVITA 4  Since 1999***  33       President and Attorney at Law in the law firm
Director                                       of Anthony J. Colavita, P.C.
Age: 67

JAMES P. CONN 4         Since 1989*   11       Former Managing Director and Chief Investment     Director of LaQuinta Corp. (hotels)
Director                                       Officer of Financial Security Assurance Holdings  and First Republic Bank
Age: 64                                        Ltd. (1992-1998)

FRANK J. FAHRENKOPF JR. Since 1998***  3       President and Chief Executive Officer of the                 --
Director                                       American Gaming Association since June
Age: 63                                        1995; Partner of Hogan & Hartson (law
                                               firm); Chairman of International Trade
                                               Practice Group; Co-Chairman of the
                                               Commission on Presidential Debates;
                                               Former Chairman of the Republican
                                               National Committee

ARTHUR V. FERRARA      Since 2001***   9       Formerly, Chairman of the Board and Chief         Director of The Guardian Life
Director                                       Executive Officer of The Guardian Life            Insurance Company of America;
Age: 72                                        Insurance Company of America from January         Director of The Guardian Insurance
                                               1993 to December 1995; President, Chief           & Annuity Company, Inc.,
                                               Executive Officer and a Director prior thereto    Guardian Investor Services
                                                                                                 Corporation, and 5 mutual funds
                                                                                                 within the Guardian Fund Complex

ANTHONY R. PUSTORINO    Since 1986*   17       Certified Public Accountant; Professor                       --
Director                                       Emeritus, Pace University
Age: 77

SALVATORE J. ZIZZA     Since 1986***   9       Chairman, Hallmark Electrical Supplies Corp.;     Director of Hollis Eden
Director                                       Former Executive Vice President of FMG            Pharmaceuticals
Age: 57                                        Group (OTC), a healthcare provider; Former
                                               President and Chief Executive Officer of the
                                               Lehigh Group Inc., (electrical supply
                                               wholesaler); an interior construction company,
                                               through 1997

                                       28

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
               ADDITIONAL FUND INFORMATION (CONTINUED) (UNAUDITED)


                         TERM OF    NUMBER OF
                       OFFICE AND FUNDS IN FUND
NAME, POSITION(S)       LENGTH OF    COMPLEX
   ADDRESS 1              TIME     OVERSEEN BY      PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S)
    AND AGE             SERVED 2    DIRECTOR        DURING PAST FIVE YEARS
----------------       ---------  ------------      ----------------------
OFFICERS:
--------
                                        
BRUCE N. ALPERT        Since 1998      --        Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Vice President and                               Officer of Gabelli Funds, LLC since 1988 and
Treasurer                                        an officer of all mutual funds advised by
Age: 51                                          Gabelli Funds, LLC and its affiliates.
                                                 Director and President of the Gabelli Advisors,
                                                 Inc.
CARTER W. AUSTIN       Since 2000      --        Vice President at the Trust since 2000.
Vice President                                   Vice President of Gabelli Funds, LLC
Age: 35                                          since 1996.

JAMES E. MCKEE         Since 1995      --        Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Secretary                                        of Gabelli Asset Management Inc. since 1999
Age: 39                                          and GAMCO Investors, Inc. since 1993; Secretary
                                                 of all mutual funds advised by Gabelli Advisers,
                                                 Inc. and Gabelli Funds, LLC

----------------

1 Address: One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580, unless otherwise noted.

2 The Trust's  Board of  Directors  is divided  into three  classes,  each class
  having a term of three  years.  Each  year the  term of  office  of one  class
  expires  and the  successor  or  successors  elected to such class serve for a
  three year term. The three year term for each class expires as follows:

  * - Term expires at the Trust's 2003 Annual  Meeting of Shareholders and until
      their successors are duly elected and qualified.

 ** - Term expires at the Trust's 2004 Annual  Meeting of Shareholders and until
      their successors are duly elected and qualified.

*** - Term expires at the Trust's 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders  and until
      their successors are duly elected and qualified.

3 "Interested  person" of the Trust as defined in the Investment  Company Act of
  1940.  Messrs.  Gabelli and Pohl are each  considered an  "interested  person"
  because of their affiliation with Gabelli Funds, LLC which acts as the Trust's
  investment adviser.

4 Represents holders of the Trust's 7.20% and 7.25% Cumulative Preferred Stock.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                            AND YOUR PERSONAL PRIVACY

     WHO ARE WE?
     The Gabelli  Equity Trust Inc.  (the  "Trust") is a  closed-end  investment
     company  registered with the Securities and Exchange  Commission  under the
     Investment  Company Act of 1940. We are managed by Gabelli Funds LLC, which
     is affiliated with Gabelli Asset  Management Inc.  Gabelli Asset Management
     is a publicly-held  company that has subsidiaries  that provide  investment
     advisory or brokerage services for a variety of clients.

     WHAT KIND OF NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU IF YOU BECOME A
     GABELLI CUSTOMER?

     When you purchase shares of the Trust on the New York Stock  Exchange,  you
     have the option of  registering  directly with our transfer agent in order,
     for  example,   to  participate  in  our  dividend   reinvestment  plan.

o    INFORMATION YOU GIVE US ON YOUR  APPLICATION  FORM. This could include your
     name,  address,  telephone  number,  social security  number,  bank account
     number, and other information.

o    INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR TRANSACTIONS WITH US. This would include information
     about the  shares  that you buy or sell,  it may also  include  information
     about whether you sell or exercise  rights that we have issued from time to
     time.  If we  hire  someone  else  to  provide  services--like  a  transfer
     agent--we  will  also have  information  about  the  transactions  that you
     conduct through them.

     WHAT INFORMATION DO WE DISCLOSE AND TO WHOM DO WE DISCLOSE IT?

     We do not disclose any non-public personal  information about our customers
     or former  customers  to anyone,  other than our  affiliates,  our  service
     providers who need to know such  information and as otherwise  permitted by
     law. If you want to find out what the law permits, you can read the privacy
     rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. They are in volume
     17 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 248. The Commission often posts
     information about its regulations on its web site, WWW.SEC.GOV.

     WHAT DO WE DO TO PROTECT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

     We restrict  access to  non-public  personal  information  about you to the
     people who need to know that  information  in order to provide  services to
     you or the Fund and to ensure that we are complying with the laws governing
     the securities business. We maintain physical,  electronic,  and procedural
     safeguards to keep your personal information confidential.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       29

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                       INCOME TAX INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002

CASH DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

                            TOTAL AMOUNT    ORDINARY    LONG-TERM    DIVIDEND
       PAYABLE      RECORD      PAID       INVESTMENT    CAPITAL   REINVESTMENT
        DATE         DATE   PER SHARE (A)    INCOME     GAINS (A)      PRICE
       -------      ------  -------------  ----------   ---------  ------------
COMMON SHARES
      03/25/02     03/15/02    $0.2700      $0.0192      $0.2508     $10.5450
      06/24/02     06/14/02     0.2700       0.0191       0.2509       7.7235
      09/24/02     09/16/02     0.2700       0.0191       0.2509       6.2225
      12/24/02     12/16/02     0.1400       0.0099       0.1301       7.4195
                               -------      -------      -------
                               $0.9500      $0.0673      $0.8827

7.25% PREFERRED SHARES
      03/26/02     03/19/02    $0.4531      $0.0321      $0.4210
      06/26/02     06/19/02     0.4531       0.0321       0.4210
      09/26/02     09/19/02     0.4531       0.0321       0.4210
      12/26/02     12/18/02     0.4532       0.0321       0.4211
                               -------      -------      -------
                               $1.8125      $0.1284      $1.6841

7.20% PREFERRED SHARES
      03/26/02     03/19/02    $0.4500      $0.0319      $0.4181
      06/26/02     06/19/02     0.4500       0.0319       0.4181
      09/26/02     09/19/02     0.4500       0.0319       0.4181
      12/26/02     12/18/02     0.4500       0.0319       0.4181
                               -------      -------      -------
                               $1.8000      $0.1276      $1.6724

AUCTION RATE PREFERRED SHARES

    Auction Rate  Preferred  Shares pay dividends  weekly based on a rate set at
auction, usually held every seven days.

    A Form  1099-DIV  has been  mailed to all  shareholders  of  record  for the
distributions  mentioned above, setting forth specific amounts to be included in
the 2002 tax  returns.  Ordinary  income  distributions  include net  investment
income and  realized  net  short-term  capital  gains.  13.36% of the  long-term
capital  gains  paid by the  Equity  Trust in 2002 was  classified  as "20% Rate
Gains" subject to a maximum tax rate of 20% (or 10% depending on an individual's
tax  bracket).  Capital  gain  distributions  are  reported  in box  2a of  Form
1099-DIV. 86.64% of the long-term capital gains paid by the Gabelli Equity Trust
Fund in 2002 was  classified as "Qualified  5-Year Gains" and reported in box 2c
of Form 1099-DIV.

NON-TAXABLE RETURN OF CAPITAL

    The amount received as a non-taxable (return of capital) distribution should
be applied  to reduce the tax cost of shares.  There was no return of capital in
2002.

CORPORATE DIVIDENDS RECEIVED DEDUCTION AND U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES INCOME

    The Equity Trust paid to common  shareholders  an ordinary  income  dividend
totalling  $0.0673 per share in 2002.  The Equity  Trust paid to 7.25%  Series A
preferred  shareholders  and 7.20% Series B preferred  shareholders  an ordinary
income dividend totalling $0.1284 per share and $0.1276 per share, respectively,
in 2002.  The  percentage  of such  dividends  that  qualifies for the dividends
received  deduction  available to  corporations is 99.95% for all such dividends
paid in 2002. The percentage of the ordinary income dividends paid by the Equity
Trust during 2002 derived from U.S. Government Securities was 2.83%. However, it
should be noted that the  Equity  Trust did not hold more than 50% of its assets
in U.S. Government Securities at the end of each calendar quarter during 2002.

                                       30

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                 INCOME TAX INFORMATION (CONTINUED) (UNAUDITED)
                                DECEMBER 31, 2002


                                               HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION SUMMARY - COMMON STOCK

                               SHORT-         LONG-                  UNDISTRIBUTED TAXES PAID ON
                                TERM          TERM      NON-TAXABLE    LONG-TERM   UNDISTRIBUTED                  ADJUSTMENT
                INVESTMENT     CAPITAL       CAPITAL     RETURN OF      CAPITAL       CAPITAL         TOTAL           TO
                  INCOME      GAINS (B)       GAINS       CAPITAL        GAINS       GAINS (C)  DISTRIBUTIONS (A) COST BASIS
                ----------    ---------      -------    -----------  ------------- ------------ ----------------- ----------
                                                                                         
2002             $ 0.05180     $0.01550  $   0.88270        --            --            --      $    0.95000        --
2001 (d)           0.06700      0.06400      0.94900        --            --            --           1.08000        --
2000               0.04070      0.15500      1.11430        --            --            --           1.31000        --
1999 (e)           0.03010      0.21378      0.99561     $0.91176         --            --           2.15125     $0.91176 -
1998               0.06420        --         1.10080        --            --            --           1.16500        --
1997               0.07610      0.00210      0.93670      0.02510         --            --           1.04000      0.02500 -
1996               0.10480        --         0.78120      0.11400         --            --           1.00000      0.11400 -
1995 (f)           0.12890        --         0.49310      0.37800         --            --           1.00000      0.37800 -
1994 (g)           0.13536      0.06527      0.30300      1.38262         --            --           1.88625      1.38262 -
1993 (h)           0.13050      0.02030      0.72930      0.22990         --            --           1.11000      0.22990 -
1992 (i)           0.20530      0.04050      0.29660      0.51760         --            --           1.06000      0.51760 -
1991 (j)           0.22590      0.03990      0.14420      0.68000         --            --           1.09000      0.68000 -
1990               0.50470        --         0.22950      0.44580         --            --           1.18000      0.44580 -
1989               0.29100      0.35650      0.66250        --          $0.6288        $0.2138       1.31000      0.41500 +
1988               0.14500      0.20900      0.19600        --           0.2513         0.0854       0.55000      0.16590 +
1987               0.25600      0.49100      0.33500        --            --            --           1.08200        --

                                               HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION SUMMARY - 7.25% PREFERRED STOCK

2002             $ 0.09860     $0.02980  $   1.68410        --            --            --      $    1.81250        --
2001               0.11440      0.10610      1.59200        --            --            --           1.81250        --
2000               0.05670      0.21430      1.54150        --            --            --           1.81250        --
1999               0.04370      0.31640      1.45240        --            --            --           1.81250        --
1998               0.05600        --         0.96100        --            --            --           1.01700        --

                                               HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION SUMMARY - 7.20% PREFERRED STOCK

2002             $ 0.09800     $0.02960  $   1.67240        --            --            --      $    1.80000        --
2001               0.05870      0.05440      0.81690        --            --            --           0.93000        --

                                             HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION SUMMARY - AUCTION RATE PREFERRED SHARES

2002             $12.28350     $3.71450   $209.89200        --            --            --        $225.89000        --

--------------------------

(a)  Total amounts may differ due to rounding.

(b)  Taxable as ordinary income.

(c)  Net Asset Value is reduced by this amount on the last  business  day of the
     year.

(d)  On January 10, 2001,  the Company also  distributed  Rights  equivalent  to
     $0.56 per share based upon full subscription of all issued shares.

(e)  On July 9, 1999, the Company also distributed shares of The Gabelli Utility
     Trust valued at $9.8125 per share.

(f)  On October 19, 1995,  the Company also  distributed  Rights  equivalent  to
     $0.37 per share based upon full subscription of all issued shares.

(g)  On November 15, 1994,  the Company also  distributed  shares of The Gabelli
     Global Multimedia Trust Inc. valued at $8.0625 per share.

(h)  On July 14, 1993, the Company also distributed  Rights  equivalent to $0.50
     per share based upon full subscription of all issued shares.

(i)  On September 28, 1992, the Company also  distributed  Rights  equivalent to
     $0.36 per share based upon full subscription of all issued shares.

(j)  On October 21, 1991,  the Company also  distributed  Rights  equivalent  to
     $0.42 per share based upon full subscription of all issued shares.

  -  Decrease in cost basis.

  +  Increase in cost basis.

                                       31

                         AUTOMATIC DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT
                        AND VOLUNTARY CASH PURCHASE PLAN

ENROLLMENT IN THE PLAN

   It is the  policy of The  Gabelli  Equity  Trust  Inc.  ("Equity  Trust")  to
automatically   reinvest   dividends.   As  a   "registered"   shareholder   you
automatically  become a participant  in the Equity  Trust's  Automatic  Dividend
Reinvestment  Plan (the "Plan").  The Plan  authorizes the Equity Trust to issue
shares to participants  upon an income dividend or a capital gains  distribution
regardless  of whether  the shares are trading at a discount or a premium to net
asset value. All  distributions  to shareholders  whose shares are registered in
their  own  names  will be  automatically  reinvested  pursuant  to the  Plan in
additional  shares of the Equity Trust.  Plan  participants may send their stock
certificates  to  EquiServe  Trust  Company  ("EquiServe")  to be held in  their
dividend reinvestment account.  Registered shareholders wishing to receive their
distribution in cash must submit this request in writing to:

                          The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc.
                                  c/o EquiServe
                                 P.O. Box 43011
                            Providence, RI 02940-3011

   Shareholders  requesting  this cash election  must include the  shareholder's
name and  address as they  appear on the share  certificate.  Shareholders  with
additional  questions  regarding  the  Plan  may  contact  EquiServe  at 1 (800)
336-6983.

   SHAREHOLDERS WISHING TO LIQUIDATE REINVESTED SHARES held at EquiServe must do
so in writing or by telephone. Please submit your request to the above mentioned
address or telephone  number.  Include in your  request  your name,  address and
account number. The cost to liquidate shares is $2.50 per transaction as well as
the brokerage  commission  incurred.  Brokerage  charges are expected to be less
than the usual brokerage charge for such transactions.

   If your shares are held in the name of a broker, bank or nominee,  you should
contact such institution.  If such institution is not participating in the Plan,
your account will be credited with a cash  dividend.  In order to participate in
the Plan through  such  institution,  it may be  necessary  for you to have your
shares  taken out of  "street  name" and  re-registered  in your own name.  Once
registered in your own name your  dividends  will be  automatically  reinvested.
Certain brokers participate in the Plan.  Shareholders holding shares in "street
name"  at   participating   institutions   will  have  dividends   automatically
reinvested.  Shareholders  wishing  a cash  dividend  at such  institution  must
contact their broker to make this change.

   The number of shares of Common Stock  distributed to participants in the Plan
in lieu of cash dividends is determined in the following manner. Under the Plan,
whenever  the market  price of the Equity  Trust's  Common  Stock is equal to or
exceeds  net  asset  value  at the  time  shares  are  valued  for  purposes  of
determining  the number of shares  equivalent  to the cash  dividends or capital
gains distribution, participants are issued shares of Common Stock valued at the
greater of (i) the net asset value as most  recently  determined  or (ii) 95% of
the then current market price of the Equity Trust's Common Stock.  The valuation
date is the dividend or distribution  payment date or, if that date is not a New
York Stock Exchange trading day, the next trading day. If the net asset value of
the Common Stock at the time of valuation exceeds the market price of the Common
Stock,  participants  will receive shares from the Equity Trust valued at market
price.  If  the  Equity  Trust  should  declare  a  dividend  or  capital  gains
distribution  payable only in cash,  EquiServe will buy Common Stock in the open
market,  or on the New York Stock Exchange or elsewhere,  for the  participants'
accounts, except that EquiServe will endeavor to terminate purchases in the open
market  and  cause the  Equity  Trust to issue  shares  at net  asset  value if,
following the  commencement  of such  purchases,  the market value of the Common
Stock exceeds the then current net asset value.

   The automatic  reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions will
not  relieve  participants  of any  income  tax  which  may be  payable  on such
distributions.  A participant in the Plan will be treated for Federal income tax
purposes  as  having  received,  on a  dividend  payment  date,  a  dividend  or
distribution in an amount equal to the cash the participant  could have received
instead of shares.

   The Equity Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan as applied
to any  voluntary  cash  payments  made and any  dividend or  distribution  paid
subsequent  to written  notice of the change  sent to the members of the Plan at
least 90 days before the record date for such dividend or distribution. The Plan
also may be amended or  terminated  by  EquiServe  on at least 90 days'  written
notice to participants in the Plan.

VOLUNTARY CASH PURCHASE PLAN

   The Voluntary Cash Purchase Plan is yet another vehicle for our  shareholders
to increase their investment in the Equity Trust. In order to participate in the
Voluntary Cash Purchase Plan,  shareholders must have their shares registered in
their own name.

   Participants  in the  Voluntary  Cash Purchase Plan have the option of making
additional  cash payments to EquiServe  for  investments  in the Equity  Trust's
shares at the then current  market price.  Shareholders  may send an amount from
$250 to $10,000.  EquiServe will use these funds to purchase  shares in the open
market on or about the 1st and 15th of each  month.  EquiServe  will charge each
shareholder  who  participates  $0.75,  plus a pro rata  share of the  brokerage
commissions.  Brokerage  charges for such purchases are expected to be less than
the usual  brokerage  charge for such  transactions.  It is  suggested  that any
voluntary  cash payments be sent to EquiServe,  P.O. Box 43011,  Providence,  RI
02940-3011  such that  EquiServe  receives such payments  approximately  10 days
before the  investment  date.  Funds not  received at least five days before the
investment  date shall be held for investment in the following  month. A payment
may be withdrawn  without  charge if notice is received by EquiServe at least 48
hours before such payment is to be invested.

   For more information  regarding the Dividend  Reinvestment Plan and Voluntary
Cash Purchase  Plan,  brochures  are  available by calling (914)  921-5070 or by
writing directly to the Equity Trust.

      --------------------------------------------------------------------
         The Annual Meeting of The Gabelli Equity Trust's stockholders
         will be held at 9:00 A.M.  on Monday,  May 12,  2003,  at The
         Bruce Museum, One Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut.
      --------------------------------------------------------------------

                                       32

                             DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                    ONE CORPORATE CENTER, RYE, NY 10580-1422

DIRECTORS

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA
  CHAIRMAN & CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER,
  GABELLI ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.

Dr. Thomas E. Bratter
  PRESIDENT, JOHN DEWEY ACADEMY

Anthony J. Colavita
  ATTORNEY-AT-LAW,
  ANTHONY J. COLAVITA, P.C.

James P. Conn
  FORMER MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER,
  FINANCIAL SECURITY ASSURANCE HOLDINGS LTD.

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
  PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
  AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION

Arthur V. Ferrara
  FORMER CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
  GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA

Karl Otto Pohl
  FORMER PRESIDENT, DEUTSCHE BUNDESBANK

Anthony R. Pustorino
  CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
  PROFESSOR EMERITUS, PACE UNIVERSITY

Salvatore J. Zizza
  CHAIRMAN, HALLMARK ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES CORP.

OFFICERS

Mario J. Gabelli, CFA
  PRESIDENT & CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER

Bruce N. Alpert
  VICE PRESIDENT & TREASURER

Carter W. Austin
  VICE PRESIDENT

James E. McKee
  SECRETARY

INVESTMENT ADVISOR

Gabelli Funds, LLC
One Corporate Center
Rye, New York  10580-1422

CUSTODIAN

Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company

COUNSEL

Willkie Farr & Gallagher

TRANSFER AGENT AND REGISTRAR

EquiServe Trust Company

STOCK EXCHANGE LISTING

                      COMMON    7.25% PREFERRED 7.20% PREFERRED
                      ------    --------------- --------------
NYSE-Symbol:            GAB         GAB Pr          GAB PrB
Shares Outstanding: 134,059,967    5,367,900       6,600,000

The Net Asset Value appears in the Publicly Traded Funds column, under the
heading "General Equity Funds," in Sunday's The New York Times and in Monday's
The Wall Street Journal. It is also listed in Barron's Mutual Funds/Closed End
Funds section under the heading "General Equity Funds".

The Net Asset Value may be obtained each day by calling (914) 921-5071.

              -----------------------------------------------------
                For general information about the Gabelli Funds,
                call 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554), fax us at
                914-921-5118, visit Gabelli Funds' Internet
                homepage at: WWW.GABELLI.COM
                or e-mail us at: closedend@gabelli.com
              -----------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Notice is hereby given in accordance  with Section 23(c) of the Investment
  Company Act of 1940,  as amended,  that the Equity Trust may, from time to
  time,  purchase  shares of its common  stock in the open  market  when the
  Equity  Trust shares are trading at a discount of 10% or more from the net
  asset value of the shares.  The Equity Trust may also,  from time to time,
  purchase shares of its Cumulative  Preferred Stock in the open market when
  the shares are trading at a discount to the Liquidation Value of $25.00.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          THE GABELLI EQUITY TRUST INC.
                    ONE CORPORATE CENTER, RYE, NY 10580-1422

                        PHONE: 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554)
                   FAX: 914-921-5118 INTERNET: WWW.GABELLI.COM
                          E-MAIL: CLOSEDEND@GABELLI.COM

                                                                  GBFCM-AR-12/02