rates, global demand for particular
products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and
downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other
governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the
value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or
pandemics or the threat or potential of one or more such factors and occurrences.
Asset-Backed, Mortgage-Related and Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-related and asset-backed securities are subject to certain other risks, including prepayment and call risks. During periods of difficult or frozen credit
markets, significant changes in interest rates, or deteriorating economic conditions,
mortgage-related and asset-backed securities may decline in value, face valuation difficulties,
become more volatile and/or become illiquid. When mortgages and other obligations are prepaid and
when securities are called, the Fund may have to reinvest in securities with a lower yield or fail to recover additional amounts (i.e., premiums) paid for securities with higher interest rates, resulting in an unexpected
capital loss and/or a decrease in the amount of dividends and yield. In periods of either rising
or declining interest rates, the Fund may be subject to extension risk, and may receive principal later than expected. As a result, in periods of rising interest rates, the Fund may exhibit additional volatility.
Additionally, asset-backed, mortgage-related and mortgage-backed securities are subject to risks
associated with their structure and the nature of the assets underlying the securities and the servicing of those assets. Certain asset-backed, mortgage-related and mortgage-backed securities may face valuation difficulties
and may be less liquid than other types of asset-backed, mortgage-related and mortgage-backed
securities, or debt securities.
Government
Securities Risk. U.S. Government securities include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
Government or its agencies and instrumentalities (such as securities issued by the Government
National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) or other Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs)). U.S.
Government securities are subject to market risk, interest rate risk and credit risk. Securities,
such as those issued or guaranteed by Ginnie Mae or the U.S. Treasury, that are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when
held to maturity and the market prices for such securities will fluctuate. The income generated
by investments may not keep pace with inflation. Actions by governments and central banking authorities could result in changes in interest rates. Periods of higher inflation could cause such authorities to raise
interest rates, which may adversely affect the Fund and its investments. Notwithstanding that
these securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, circumstances could arise that would prevent the payment of interest or principal. This would result in losses to the Fund. Securities
issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government-related organizations, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government and no assurance can be
given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support. Therefore, U.S. Government-related
organizations may not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
U.S. Government securities include zero
coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying
securities of similar maturities.
Municipal Obligations
and Securities Risk. Because the Fund may invest in municipal obligations, including municipal
securities, the Fund may be susceptible to political, legislative, economic, regulatory, tax or
other factors affecting issuers of these municipal obligations, such as state and local governments and their agencies. The risk of a municipal obligation generally depends on the financial and credit status of the
issuer. Changes in a municipality’s financial health may make it difficult for the
municipality to make interest and principal payments when due. This could decrease the
Fund’s income or hurt the ability to preserve capital and liquidity. Under some circumstances, municipal obligations might not pay interest unless the state legislature or municipality authorizes money for
that purpose.
The amount of public information available about municipal obligations is generally less than for corporate
equities or bonds, meaning that the investment performance of municipal obligations may be more
dependent on the analytical abilities of the investment adviser than stock or corporate bond investments. The secondary market for municipal obligations also tends to be less well-developed and less liquid than many
other securities markets, which may limit the Fund’s ability to sell its municipal
obligations at attractive prices. The differences between the price at which an obligation can be purchased and the price at which it can be sold may widen during periods of market distress. Less liquid obligations can
become more difficult to value and be subject to erratic price movements. In addition, changes in
U.S. federal tax laws or the activity of an issuer may adversely affect the tax-exempt status of municipal obligations. Loss of tax-exempt status may result in a significant decline in the values of such municipal
obligations.
Municipal obligations may be more susceptible to
downgrades or defaults during recessions or similar periods of economic stress. In addition,
since some municipal obligations may be secured or guaranteed by banks and other institutions, the risk to the Fund could increase if the banking or financial sector suffers an economic downturn and/or if the
credit ratings of the institutions issuing the guarantee are downgraded or at risk of being
downgraded by a national rating organization. Such a downward revision or risk of being downgraded may have an adverse effect on the market prices of the bonds and thus the value of the Fund’s investments.
In addition to being downgraded, an insolvent municipality may file for bankruptcy. The reorganization of a
municipality’s debts may significantly affect the rights of creditors and the value of the
securities issued by the municipality and the value of the Fund’s investments. Interest on municipal obligations, while generally exempt from federal income tax, may not be exempt from federal alternative minimum tax.
When-Issued, Delayed Settlement and Forward Commitment
Transactions Risk. The Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for
delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at
a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value
prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be