Changes in interest
rates also may affect the liquidity of the fund’s investments. A variety of factors can impact interest rates, including central bank monetary policies and inflation rates. A general rise in
interest rates may cause investors to sell fixed-income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed-income securities generally and could also result in increased
redemptions from the fund. Increased redemptions could cause the fund to sell securities at inopportune times or depressed prices and result in further losses. Recently, inflation and interest
rates have been volatile and may increase in the future. Interest rate increases in the future may cause the value of fixed-income
securities to decrease and, conversely, interest rate reductions may cause
the value of fixed-income securities to increase.
Credit – If an issuer or other obligor (such as a party
providing insurance or other credit enhancement) of a security held by the fund or a
counterparty to a financial contract with the fund is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations, or is downgraded or perceived to be less creditworthy (whether by market participants, ratings agencies, pricing
services or otherwise), or if the value of any underlying assets declines, the value of your
investment will typically decline. A decline may be rapid and/or significant, particularly
in certain market environments. In addition, the fund may incur costs and may be hindered or delayed in enforcing its rights against an issuer, obligor or counterparty.
Mortgage-Related and Asset-Backed Securities –
The value of mortgage-related and asset-backed securities will be influenced by factors affecting the housing market and the assets underlying such securities. As a result, during
periods of declining asset values, difficult or frozen credit markets, swings 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, which could negatively impact
the fund. Mortgage-backed securities represent direct or indirect participations in, or are
collateralized by and payable from, mortgage loans secured by real property. Asset-backed securities represent participations in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as installment sales or loan
contracts, leases, credit card receivables and other categories of receivables. The value of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities may be affected by changes in credit quality or value of the mortgage loans
or other assets that support the securities. Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities are
subject to prepayment or call and extension risks. Some of these securities may receive
little or no collateral protection from the underlying assets.
High-Yield Debt Securities – High-yield debt securities, commonly referred to as “junk” bonds, are securities
that are rated below “investment grade” or are of comparable quality. Changes
in interest rates, the market’s perception of the issuers, the creditworthiness of
the issuers and negative perceptions of the junk bond market generally may significantly affect the value of these bonds. Junk bonds are considered speculative, tend to be volatile, typically have a higher risk of default,
tend to be less liquid and more difficult to value than higher grade securities, and may result in losses for the fund.
Inflation – The value of assets or income from investment may be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the
value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of the fund’s assets can
decline as can the value of the fund’s distributions.
Liquidity – The fund may make investments that are illiquid
or that become illiquid after purchase. Illiquid investments can be difficult to value, may
trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments, and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Liquidity risk may be magnified in rising interest rate or volatile environments. If the fund is
forced to sell an illiquid investment to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may be forced to sell at a substantial loss or may not be able to sell at all. Liquidity of particular
investments, or even entire asset classes, including U.S. Treasury securities, can deteriorate rapidly, particularly during times of market turmoil, and those investments may be difficult or impossible for
the fund to sell. This may prevent the fund from limiting losses.
Counterparty – The fund could lose money if the counterparties
to derivatives, repurchase agreements and/or other financial contracts entered into for the
fund do not fulfill their contractual obligations. In addition, the fund may incur costs and may be hindered or delayed in enforcing its rights against a counterparty. These risks may be greater to the
extent the fund has more contractual exposure to a counterparty.
Extension – When interest rates rise, payments of
fixed-income securities, including asset- and mortgage-backed securities, may occur more
slowly than anticipated, causing their market prices to decline.
Derivatives – The use of derivatives involves a variety of
risks, which may be different from, or greater than, the risks associated with investing in
traditional securities, such as stocks and bonds. Risks of derivatives include leverage risk, liquidity risk, interest rate risk, valuation risk, market risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. Use of derivatives can
increase fund losses, increase costs, reduce opportunities for gains, increase fund volatility, and not produce the result intended. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of
the size of the initial investment. Even a small investment in derivatives can have a disproportionate impact on the fund. Derivatives may be difficult or impossible to sell, unwind or value, and the
counterparty (including, if applicable, the fund’s clearing broker, the derivatives exchange or the clearinghouse) may default on its obligations to the fund. In certain cases, the fund may incur costs
and may be hindered or delayed in enforcing its rights against or closing out derivatives instruments with a counterparty, which may result in additional losses. Derivatives are also generally subject to
the risks applicable to the assets, rates, indices or other indicators underlying the derivative, including market risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, management risk and valuation risk. Also, suitable derivative
transactions may not be available in all circumstances or at reasonable prices. The value of a derivative may fluctuate more or less than, or otherwise not correlate well with, the underlying assets, rates,
indices or other indicators to which it relates. Using derivatives also subjects the fund to certain operational and legal risks. The fund may segregate cash or other liquid assets to cover the funding of
its obligations under derivatives contracts or make margin payments when it takes positions
in derivatives involving obligations to third parties. Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act
provides a comprehensive regulatory framework for the use of derivatives by funds and imposes requirements and restrictions on funds using derivatives. Rule 18f-4 could have an adverse impact on the fund’s
performance and its ability to implement its investment strategies and may increase costs related to