Morgan Stanley
Pathway Funds
Pathway Funds
International Fixed Income Fund |
Ticker: TIFUX
January 1, 2024
Summary Prospectus
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and
its risks. The Fund’s prospectus, dated January 1, 2024, and Statement of Additional Information, dated January 1, 2024, are incorporated by reference into the summary prospectus, making them legally part of the summary prospectus. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and
other information about the Fund online at www.morganstanley.com/wealth-investmentsolutions/cgcm. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-869-3326 or by sending an
e-mail request to client.field.services@morganstanley.com.
Investment objective
Maximize current income, consistent with the protection of principal.
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 |
0.45% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.95% |
| Waiver* |
(0.05)% |
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses* |
0.90% |
* 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.
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 |
| $293 |
$908 |
$1,548 |
$3,267 |
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 transaction 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 381% 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. The Fund invests primarily in fixed income instruments of issuers located
outside the U.S. Up to 15% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in fixed income instruments of
issuers located in emerging markets countries. The fixed income instruments in which the Fund may invest include
securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises (Note
that securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by
the U.S. Treasury); corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including preferred and convertible
securities and corporate commercial paper; mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities; inflation-indexed
bonds issued both by governments and corporations; structured notes, including hybrid or “indexed”
securities and event-linked bonds; loan participations and assignments; delayed funding loans and revolving credit
facilities; bank loans; bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances;
repurchase agreements on fixed income instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on fixed income instruments;
debt securities issued by foreign sovereigns, states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and
other government-sponsored enterprises; obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and
government-sponsored enterprises; and obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.
The Fund also may invest in
derivatives based on fixed income instruments including futures, forwards, options, swaps, and swaptions and may
use other investment techniques such as mortgage dollar rolls, buy-backs and securities lending to earn
additional income. The Fund also may engage in short sales and invest in privately placed securities.
Investments may be structured to
provide all types of interest rate payments, including fixed, variable, floating, inverse, zero or interest-only
rates of interest. The Fund may invest in currency spot and forward transactions for the purpose of active
currency exposure. Foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) normally
will be limited to 30% of the Fund’s total assets. The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets
in preferred stocks, convertible securities and other equity-related securities. The Fund may also lend portfolio
securities to earn additional income. Any income realized through securities lending may help Fund
performance.
Credit Quality. The Fund invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 15% 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 quality.
Duration. The Fund’s average portfolio duration, as calculated by the Sub-adviser, normally ranges within two years (plus or minus) of the duration of the benchmark index. Duration is an
2 MORGAN STANLEY | 2024
approximate measure of the sensitivity of the
market value of the Fund’s holdings to changes in interest rates. Maturity means the date on which the
principal amount of a debt security is due and payable. The Fund may invest in individual securities of any
maturity.
Principal risks of investing in the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund.
The Fund’s principal risks include:
•
Market
Risk, which is the risk that the Fund will be affected by broad changes in the fixed income markets. The
prices of the Fund’s fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate
changes, as well as to perceptions about the creditworthiness of individual issuers, including governments and
their agencies. Generally, the Fund’s fixed income securities will decrease in value if interest rates rise
and vice versa. Declines in dealer market-making capacity as a result of structural or regulatory changes could
decrease liquidity and/or increase volatility in the fixed income markets. In the case of foreign securities,
price fluctuations will reflect international economic and political events, as well as changes in currency
valuations relative to the U.S. dollar. In response to these events, the Fund’s value may fluctuate and/or the Fund may experience increased redemptions from shareholders, which may impact the Fund’s liquidity or force the Fund to sell securities into a declining or illiquid market. Environmental and public health risks, such as natural
disasters, epidemics, pandemics or widespread fear that such events may occur, may impact markets adversely and
cause market volatility in both the short- and long-term.
•
Interest Rate Risk, which is the risk that interest rates rise and fall over time. When interest rates are low, the Fund’s yield and total return also may be low. When interest rates rise, bond prices generally fall, which might cause the
Fund’s share price to fall. When the Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in
the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the
income received from such securities and the net asset value of the Fund’s shares.
•
Portfolio Turnover Risk, which is the risk that due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently. This may result in higher transaction costs and additional capital gains tax liabilities.
•
Credit and Junk Bond Risk, which means the credit quality of an investment could cause the Fund to lose money. Non-investment grade securities (sometimes called “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) involve
greater risks of default or downgrade, are more volatile and may be more susceptible than other issuers to
economic downturns. Such securities are subject to the risk that the issuer may not be able to pay interest or
dividends and ultimately to repay principal upon maturity, which could substantially adversely affect the market
value of the securities.
•
Prepayment and Extension Risks, which means a debt obligation may be paid off earlier or later than expected. Either situation could cause the Fund to hold securities paying lower-than-market rates of interest, which could hurt the Fund’s yield or share price.
•
Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk, exists when the Fund invests in mortgage-backed securities, which represent an interest in a pool of mortgages. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment and extension risk as well as the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their
obligations.
•
Asset-Backed Securities Risk, exists when the Fund invests in asset-backed securities which are structured like mortgage-backed securities, but instead of mortgage loans or interests in mortgage loans, the underlying assets may include such items as motor vehicle installment sales or installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property, and receivables from credit card agreements. Asset-backed securities are subject to many of the same risks as mortgage-backed securities including prepayment and extension risk. The ability of an issuer of asset-backed securities to enforce its security interest in the underlying assets may be limited.
•
Convertible and Preferred Securities Risk, convertible and preferred securities have many of the same characteristics as stocks, including many of the same risks. In addition, convertible securities may be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than stocks. Convertible securities may also have credit ratings below investment grade, meaning that they carry a higher risk of failure by the issuer to pay principal and/or interest when due.
•
Derivatives Risk, which means that the Fund’s use of futures, forwards, options, swaps and swaptions based on fixed income instruments to enhance returns or hedge against market declines subjects the Fund to potentially greater volatility and/or losses. Even a small investment in futures, forwards, options, swaps and swaptions can have a
large impact on the Fund’s interest rate, securities market and currency exposure. Therefore, using
futures, forwards, options, swaps and swaptions can disproportionately increase losses and reduce opportunities
for gains when interest rates, stock prices or currency rates are changing. The Fund may not fully benefit from
or may lose money on its investment in futures, forwards, options, swaps and swaptions if changes in their value
do not correspond accurately to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings. The other party to certain
futures, forwards, options, swaps and swaptions presents the same types of credit risks as issuers of fixed
income securities. Investing in futures, forwards, options, swaps and swaptions can also make the Fund’s
assets less liquid and harder to value, especially in declining markets.
•
Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities Risk, the Fund’s investments in delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities may have the effect of requiring the Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when
it might not otherwise decide to do so. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to
credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.
•
Event-Linked Exposure Risk, event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics relating to such events. If a trigger event occurs, a Fund may lose a portion of or the entire principal investment
in the case of a bond or a portion of or the entire notional amount in the case of a swap. Event-linked exposure
instruments often provide for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims where a trigger event
has, or possibly has, occurred, such extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may
also expose a Fund to liquidity risk and certain unanticipated risks including credit risk, counterparty risk,
adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences.
3 MORGAN STANLEY | 2024
•
Foreign Investment Risk, which means risks unique to foreign securities, including less information about foreign issuers, less liquid securities markets, political instability and unfavorable changes in currency exchange
rates.
•
Emerging Markets Risk, which refers to the fact that in addition to foreign investment and currency risks, emerging markets may experience rising interest rates, or, more significantly, rapid inflation or hyperinflation. Emerging market securities may present market, credit, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the
risks of investing in developed foreign countries. The Fund also could experience a loss from settlement and
custody practices in some emerging markets.
•
Currency Risk, which refers to the risk that as a result of the Fund’s active positions in currencies and investments in securities denominated in, and/or receiving revenues in, foreign currencies, those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedged positions, the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the
currency hedged.
•
Short Sale Risk, selling short may produce higher than normal portfolio turnover, result in increased transaction costs and magnify the potential for both gain and loss to the Fund. In addition, because the Fund’s loss on a short sale
arises from increases in the value of the security sold short, such loss is theoretically unlimited. By contrast,
the Fund’s loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the
fact that a security’s value cannot drop below zero.
•
Liquidity Risk, exists when securities are difficult or impossible for the Fund to sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like due to a limited market or to legal restrictions. These securities may also need to be fair valued.
•
Securities Lending Risk, which includes the potential insolvency of a borrower and losses due to the re-investment of collateral received on loaned securities in investments that
default or do not perform well.
•
Manager Risk, which is the risk that poor security selection by the Sub-adviser will cause the Fund to underperform. This risk is common for all actively managed funds.
•
Equity
Risk, which is the risk that prices of equity securities rise and fall daily due to factors affecting individual
companies, particular industries or the equity market as a whole.
•
LIBOR Transition Risk refers to the fact that the elimination of the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) rate may adversely affect the interest rates on, and value of, certain Fund investments that are tied to LIBOR. The U.K. Financial
Conduct Authority ceased publishing all LIBOR settings on a representative basis after June 30, 2023, although
some USD LIBOR settings will continue to be published under a synthetic methodology until September 30, 2024 for
certain legacy contracts. Alternatives to LIBOR are established or in development in most major currencies and
markets are slowly responding to these new rates. It is difficult to predict the full impact of the transition
away from LIBOR on the Fund.
•
Issuer Risk, which is the risk that the value of a security may decline for reasons directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services.
•
Leverage Risk means that the Fund’s use of derivatives may result in the Fund’s total investment exposure substantially exceeding the value of its portfolio securities and that the Fund’s investment returns depending substantially on the
performance of securities that the Fund may not directly own. The use of leverage can amplify the effects of
market volatility on the Fund’s share price and may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions
when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations. The Fund’s use of leverage
may result in a heightened risk of investment loss.
•
Foreign Sovereign Debt securities risk includes that (i) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as debt
service burden, political constraints, cash flow problems and other national economic factors; (ii) governments
may default on their debt securities, which may require the Fund, as a holder of such securities, to participate
in debt rescheduling or additional lending to defaulting governments; and (iii) there is no bankruptcy proceeding
by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected in whole or in part.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not
insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. For more
information on the risks of investing in the Fund please see the Fund
details section of this Prospectus.
Performance
The bar chart below
shows how the Fund’s investment results have varied from year to year, and the following table shows how
the Fund’s annual total returns for various periods compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index and Lipper peer group. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund is available only to
investors participating in Morgan Stanley-sponsored investment advisory programs. These programs charge an
annual fee (see Annual Advisory Program Fees above). The performance information in the bar chart and table below does not reflect this fee, which
would reduce your return. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, does not
necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. For current performance information please see
www.morganstanley.com/wealth-investmentsolutions/cgcm.
4 MORGAN STANLEY | 2024
Annual total returns (%) calendar years
International Fixed Income Fund
Fund’s best and worst
calendar quarters
Best: 3.66% in 2nd quarter 2020
Worst: (5.91)% in 2nd quarter 2022
Year-to-date: 1.78% (through 3rd quarter 2023)
Worst: (5.91)% in 2nd quarter 2022
Year-to-date: 1.78% (through 3rd quarter 2023)
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31,
2022)
| INCEPTION DATE: 11/18/1991 |
1 YEAR |
5 YEARS |
10 YEARS |
| Fund (without advisory program fee) | |||
| Return Before Taxes |
(13.22)% |
(0.39)% |
1.35% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions |
(14.96)% |
(2.36)% |
(0.65)% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
(7.88)% |
(0.94)% |
0.24% |
| FTSE Non-U.S. Dollar World Government Bond Index (USD)-Hedged (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
(13.10)% |
(0.14)% |
1.88% |
| FTSE Non-U.S. Dollar World Government Bond Index (USD)-Unhedged (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
(22.07)% |
(4.21)% |
(2.27)% |
| Lipper International Income Funds Average |
(14.16)% |
(2.20)% |
(1.03)% |
The
after-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an individual investor’s tax situation and may
differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares
through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the
return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of
Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
The Fund’s benchmark is the FTSE Non-U.S. Dollar World Government Bond Index (USD)-Hedged. The benchmark is a
market
capitalization-weighted index consisting of government bond markets in developed countries, excluding the U.S., as
the term “developed countries” is defined by the benchmark. Unlike the Fund, the benchmark is
unmanaged and does not include any fees or expenses. An investor cannot invest directly in an index. Unlike the
FTSE Non-U.S. Dollar World Government Bond Index (USD)-Hedged, the Fund may invest in U.S.
securities.
The Fund also compares its performance with the Lipper International Income Funds Average. The Lipper International Income Funds Average is an average of the reinvested performance of funds that invest primarily in U.S. dollar and non-U.S. dollar debt securities located in at least three
countries, excluding the United States, except in periods of market weakness.
Investment adviser
Consulting Group Advisory Services LLC (“CGAS” or the “Manager”), a business of Morgan Stanley Wealth
Management (“MSWM”), serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Subject to Board review, the
Manager selects and oversees professional money managers (each a “Sub-adviser,” collectively, the
“Sub-advisers”) who are responsible for investing the assets of the Fund. The Sub-advisers are
selected based primarily upon the research and recommendation of the Manager, which includes a quantitative
and qualitative evaluation of a Sub-adviser’s skills and investment results in managing assets for specific
asset classes, investment styles and strategies. The Manager allocates and, when appropriate, reallocates
the Fund’s assets among one or more Sub-advisers, continuously monitors and evaluates Sub-adviser
performance (including trade execution), performs other due diligence functions (such as an assessment of changes
in personnel or other developments at the Sub-advisers), and oversees Sub-adviser compliance with the
Fund’s investment objectives, policies and guidelines. The Manager also monitors changes in market conditions and considers whether changes in the allocation of Fund assets or the lineup of Sub-advisers should be made in response to such
changes in market conditions. Sub-advisers may also periodically recommend changes or enhancements to the
Fund’s investment objectives, policies and guidelines, which are subject to the approval of the Manager and
may also be subject to the approval of the Board.
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Sub-adviser and portfolio
manager
Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO”)
| PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
SUB-ADVISER OR ADVISER |
FUND’S PORTFOLIO MANAGER SINCE |
| Sachin Gupta, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager |
PIMCO |
2014 |
Purchase and sale of Fund
shares
Purchases of shares of the Fund must be made through an investment advisory program with Morgan Stanley. You may purchase or sell shares of the Fund at net asset value on any day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open by contacting your Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor.
•
The minimum initial aggregate investment in the Morgan Stanley-sponsored investment advisory programs is $1,000.
•
There is no minimum on additional investments in the Fund or the applicable investment advisory program through which you invest.
•
Each of the Fund
and the Morgan Stanley-sponsored investment advisory programs through which investments in the Fund are offered
may vary or waive these investment minimums at any time.
For more information about the Morgan Stanley-sponsored
investment advisory programs, see the About the Funds section of this Prospectus.
Tax information
The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the
two.
Payments to financial intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of
Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the
broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your
salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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