securities. Other securities issued by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities, such as securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Banks and Freddie Mac, are supported only by the credit of the agency that issued them, and not by the U.S. government. Securities issued by the Federal Farm Credit System, the Federal Land Banks, and Fannie Mae are supported by the agency’s right to borrow money from the U.S. Treasury under certain circumstances, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies and instrumentalities if not required to do so by law.
High Yield Securities Risk The fund will purchase fixed income securities rated below the investment grade category. Securities in this rating category are speculative. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances may have a greater effect on the ability of issuers of these securities to make principal and interest payments than they do on issuers of higher grade securities.
Inflation Risk Because inflation reduces the purchasing power of income produced by existing fixed income securities, the prices at which fixed income securities trade will be reduced to compensate for the fact that the income they produce is worth less. This potential decrease in market value would be the measure of the inflation risk incurred by the fund.
Interest Rate Risk The fund invests in fixed income securities. These securities will increase or decrease in value based on changes in interest rates. If rates increase, the value of the fund’s fixed income securities generally declines. On the other hand, if rates fall, the value of the fixed income securities generally increases. Your investment will decline in value if the value of the fund’s investments decreases.
Liquidity Risk The fund may not be able to purchase or sell a security in a timely manner or at desired prices or achieve its desired weighting in a security. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market or a reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified during times of market stress. The fund may not be able to meet the requests to redeem fund shares without significant dilution of remaining investors' interest in the fund.
Management Risk The Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of a particular asset class or individual security in which the fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that individual investments will perform as anticipated.
Market Risk The value of the fund's investments may decrease, sometimes rapidly or unexpectedly, due to factors affecting an issuer held by the fund, particular industries or overall securities markets. When the value of the fund’s investments goes down, your investment in the fund decreases in value. A variety of factors including interest rate levels, recessions, inflation, U.S. economic growth, war or acts of terrorism, natural disasters, political events, supply chain disruptions, staff shortages and widespread public health issues affect the securities markets. These events may cause volatility, severe market dislocations and liquidity constraints in many markets, including markets for the securities the fund holds, and may adversely affect the fund's investments and operations. In addition, governmental responses to these events may negatively impact the capabilities of the fund's service providers, disrupt the fund's
operations, result in substantial market volatility and adversely impact the prices and liquidity of the fund's investments.
Non-U.S. and Emerging Markets Risk The fund may invest in non-U.S. securities and U.S. securities of companies domiciled in non-U.S. countries that may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. These companies may be subject to additional risks, including political and economic risks, civil conflicts and war, greater volatility, expropriation and nationalization risks, currency fluctuations, higher transaction costs, delayed settlement, possible non-U.S. controls on investments, and less stringent investor protection and disclosure standards of non-U.S. markets. The departure of one or more other countries from the European Union may have significant political and financial consequences for global markets. These risks are magnified in emerging markets as events and evolving conditions in certain economies or markets may alter the risks associated with investments tied to countries or regions that historically were perceived as comparatively stable becoming riskier and more volatile. The market for the securities of issuers in emerging markets is typically small and low, and nonexistent trading volumes in those securities may result in a lack of liquidity and price volatility.
Prepayment and Call Risk The issuer of certain securities may repay principal in advance, especially when yields fall. Changes in the rate at which prepayments occur can affect the return on investment of these securities. When debt obligations are prepaid or when securities are called, the fund may have to reinvest in securities with a lower yield. The fund also may fail to recover additional amounts (i.e., premiums) paid for securities with higher coupons, resulting in an unexpected capital loss.
Performance
The following bar chart and table show two aspects of the fund: volatility and performance. The bar chart shows the volatility — or variability — of the fund’s annual total returns over time, and shows that fund performance can change from year to year. The table shows the fund’s average annual total returns for certain time periods compared to the returns of a broad-based securities index and a supplemental index. The bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. Of course, the fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of its future performance. Updated performance information is available by visiting www.diamond-hill.com or by calling 1-888-226-5595.