Investment objective
Total return, consistent with preservation of capital.
Fund fees and expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you
buy and hold shares of the Fund.
Annual Advisory Program
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment in the applicable Morgan
Stanley-sponsored investment advisory program)
Maximum
annual fees in the Consulting Group Advisor, Select UMA or Portfolio Management investment advisory programs (as a percentage of prior quarter-end net assets)* |
2.00%
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment in the Fund)
Management
Fees* |
0.50%
|
Distribution
(12b-1) Fees |
None
|
Other
Expenses(1) |
0.17%
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.67%
|
Waiver*
|
(0.05)%
|
Net
Annual Fund Operating Expenses*(1) |
0.62%
|
* CGAS (defined herein) has
contractually agreed to waive fees and reimburse expenses in order to keep the Fund’s management fees from exceeding the total amount of sub-advisory fees paid by CGAS plus 0.20% based on average net assets. This contractual waiver will only
apply if the Fund’s total management fees exceed the total amount of sub-advisory fees paid by CGAS plus 0.20% and will not affect the Fund’s total management fees if they are less than such amount. This fee waiver and/or reimbursement
will continue for at least one year from the date of this prospectus or until such time as the Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waiver and/or reimbursement when they deem such action is appropriate.
(1) Includes interest expense which represents 0.02%.
Examples
These examples are intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the
Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The effect of the Fund’s contractual fee waiver is only reflected in the first year of the example. The figures are calculated based upon total annual Fund operating expenses and a maximum
annual fee of 2.00% for the applicable Morgan Stanley-sponsored investment advisory program through which you invest. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
AFTER
1 YEAR |
AFTER
3 YEARS |
AFTER
5 YEARS |
AFTER
10 YEARS |
$265
|
$825
|
$1,411
|
$2,999
|
Portfolio turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it
buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transactions costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not
reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the above examples, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 86% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal investment strategies
The Fund will invest, under normal market conditions, at least
80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowing for investment purposes) in fixed income instruments with maturities of less than or equal to two years.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests primarily in
investment-grade securities and will seek to maintain an average portfolio duration of two years or less. The Fund seeks to outperform the FTSE 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index over a full market cycle, while maintaining overall risk similar to the
index. The Fund will invest in government and corporate debt securities, mortgage- and asset-backed securities, money market instruments, collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), and derivatives, including futures contracts, forward
contracts (such as currency and cross-currency forwards), options and swaps (such as interest rate swaps and credit default swaps). The Fund may invest up to 20% of net assets in securities rated below investment grade. It may also invest up to 30%
of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will seek to limit its foreign currency exposure
to 20% of its total assets. The Fund may also lend portfolio securities to earn additional income. Any income realized through securities lending may help fund performance.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in
non-investment grade securities (sometimes called “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) rated CCC- or higher by Moody’s, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by the Sub-adviser (as
defined below) to be of comparable credit quality.
The
Fund’s average portfolio duration, as calculated by the Sub-adviser is normally less than two years. Duration is an approximate measure of the sensitivity of the market value of the Fund’s holdings to changes in interest rates. The
longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition, the dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Fund, under normal circumstances, is expected not to exceed three years. Maturity
means the date on which the principal amount of a debt security is due and payable. Individual investments may be of any maturity.
The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued,
delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may seek to obtain market