Convertible Securities
Risk. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, because of
the conversion feature, tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying
securities. Contingent convertible securities or CoCos are subject to additional risk factors. A
contingent convertible security is a hybrid debt security typically issued by a non-U.S. bank
that may be convertible into equity or may be written down if a pre-specified trigger event such
as a decline in capital ratio below a prescribed threshold occurs. If such a trigger event occurs, the Fund may lose the principal amount invested on a permanent or temporary basis or the contingent convertible security may be
converted to equity. In addition to being subject to a possible write-down upon the occurrence of
a trigger event, contingent convertible securities may also be subject to a permanent write-down or
conversion into equity (in whole or in part), if the applicable bank regulator or other public
administrative authority having responsibility for managing the orderly dissolution of an institution (the “resolution authority") has determined that the issuer is not viable. Even though the Fund does
not invest in common stock as a principal investment strategy, the Fund will be subject to
increased equity market risk in the event that such securities are converted to equity. Coupon payments on contingent convertibles securities may be discretionary and may be cancelled by the issuer. Holders of contingent
convertible securities may suffer a loss of capital when comparable equity holders do not. As
contingent convertible securities may be perpetual or have long-dated maturities, they may face greater interest rate sensitivity and may be subject to greater fluctuations in value than securities with shorter
maturity dates. Such securities also may be subject to prepayment risk due to optional or
mandatory redemption provisions.
High Yield Securities
Risk. The Fund may invest in securities that are issued by companies that are highly leveraged,
less creditworthy or financially distressed. These investments (known as junk bonds) are
considered to be speculative and are subject to greater risk of loss, greater sensitivity to economic changes, valuation difficulties and potential illiquidity.
In recent years, there has been a broad trend of weaker or less restrictive covenant protections in the high
yield market. Among other things, under such weaker or less restrictive covenants, borrowers
might be able to exercise more flexibility with respect to certain activities than borrowers who are subject to stronger or more protective covenants. For example, borrowers might be able to incur more debt, including secured debt,
return more capital to shareholders, remove or reduce assets that are designated as collateral
securing high yield securities, increase the claims against assets that are permitted against collateral securing high yield securities or otherwise manage their business in ways that could impact creditors
negatively. In addition, certain privately held borrowers might be permitted to file less
frequent, less detailed or less timely financial reporting or other information, which could
negatively impact the value of the high yield securities issued by such borrowers. Each of these factors might negatively impact the high yield instruments held by the Fund.
No active trading market may exist for some instruments and certain investments may be subject to restrictions
on resale. The inability to dispose of the Fund’s securities and other investments in a
timely fashion could result in losses to the Fund. Because some instruments may have a more limited secondary market, liquidity and valuation risk may be more pronounced
for the Fund. When instruments are prepaid, the Fund may have to reinvest in instruments with a lower yield or fail to recover additional amounts (i.e., premiums) paid for
these instruments, resulting in an unexpected capital loss and/ or a decrease in the amount of
dividends and yield.
REITs Risk. The Fund’s investments in real estate securities, including REITs, are subject to the same risks as
direct investments in real estate and mortgages, and their value will depend on the value of the
underlying real estate interests. These risks include default, prepayments, changes in value resulting from changes in interest rates and demand for real and rental property, and the management skill and
creditworthiness of REIT issuers. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of
expenses, including management fees, paid by each REIT in which it invests in addition to the expenses of the Fund.
Real Estate Securities Risk. The value of real estate securities in general, and REITs in particular, are subject to the same risks as
direct investments in real estate and mortgages which include, but are not limited to,
sensitivity to changes in real estate values and property taxes, interest rate risk, tax and regulatory risk, fluctuations in rent schedules and operating expenses, adverse changes in local, regional or general
economic conditions, deterioration of the real estate market and the financial circumstances of
tenants and sellers, unfavorable changes in zoning, building, environmental and other laws, the need for unanticipated renovations, unexpected increases in the cost of energy and environmental factors. In addition,
the underlying mortgage loans may be subject to the risks of default or of prepayments that occur
earlier or later than expected, and such loans may also include so-called “sub-prime” mortgages. The value of REITs will also rise and fall in response to the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer.
In particular, the value of these securities may decline when interest rates rise and will also
be affected by the real estate market and by the management of the underlying properties. REITs may be more volatile and/or more illiquid than other types of equity securities. The Fund will indirectly bear its
proportionate share of expenses, including management fees, paid by each REIT in which it invests
in addition to the expenses of the Fund.
In addition, certain of
the companies in which the Fund intends to invest may have developed or commenced development on
properties and may develop additional properties in the future. Real estate development involves
significant risks in addition to those involved in the ownership and operation of established
properties, including the risks that financing, if needed, may not be available on favorable
terms for development projects, that construction may not be completed on schedule (resulting in
increased debt service expense and construction costs), that estimates of the costs of
construction may prove to be inaccurate and that properties may not be leased, rented or operated
on profitable terms and therefore will fail to perform in accordance with expectations. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investment may decrease in value.
Foreign Securities Risk. U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers or U.S. affiliates of foreign issuers may be subject to additional risks not faced by domestic
issuers. These risks include political and economic risks, unstable governments, civil conflicts
and war, greater volatility, decreased market liquidity, expropriation and nationalization risks, sanctions or other measures by the United States or other governments, and regulatory issues facing issuers in such
countries.