GOF P3 01/22
SUPPLEMENT DATED JANUARY 28, 2022
TO THE CURRENTLY EFFECTIVE PROSPECTUSES
OF
TEMPLETON DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
TEMPLETON CHINA WORLD FUND
TEMPLETON GLOBAL INVESTMENT TRUST
Franklin Templeton SMACS: Series EM
Templeton Emerging Markets Small Cap Fund
The prospectuses of the Funds are amended as follows:
I. For Templeton Developing Markets Trust, the following is added after the third sentence in the second paragraph in the “Fund Summary – Principal Investment Strategies” section of the prospectus:
Investments in Chinese companies also may be made through a special structure known as a variable interest entity (VIE) that is designed to provide foreign investors with exposure to Chinese companies that operate in certain sectors in which China restricts or prohibits foreign investments.
II. For Templeton Developing Markets Trust, the following is added after the third paragraph in the “Fund Summary – Principal Risks – Foreign Securities (non-U.S.)” section of the prospectus:
Certain investments in Chinese companies may be made through a special structure known as a VIE. In a VIE structure, foreign investors, such as the Fund, will only own stock in a shell company rather than directly in the VIE, which must be owned by Chinese nationals (and/or Chinese companies) to obtain the licenses and/or assets required to operate in a restricted or prohibited sector in China. The value of the shell company is derived from its ability to consolidate the VIE into its financials pursuant to contractual arrangements that allow the shell company to exert a degree of control over, and obtain economic benefits arising from, the VIE without formal legal ownership. While VIEs are a longstanding industry practice and are well known by Chinese officials and regulators, the structure historically has not been formally recognized under Chinese law and it is uncertain whether Chinese officials or regulators will withdraw their acceptance of the structure. It is also uncertain whether the contractual arrangements, which may be subject to conflicts of interest between the legal owners of the VIE and foreign investors, would be enforced by Chinese courts or arbitration bodies. Prohibitions of these structures by the Chinese government, or the inability to enforce such contracts, from which the shell company derives its value, would likely cause the VIE-structured holding(s) to suffer significant, detrimental, and possibly permanent losses, and in turn, adversely affect the Fund’s returns and net asset value.
III. For Templeton Developing Markets Trust, the following is added to the end of the sixth paragraph in the “Fund Details – Principal Investment Policies and Practices” section of the prospectus:
Investments in Chinese companies also may be made through a special structure known as a variable interest entity (VIE) that is designed to provide foreign investors with exposure to Chinese companies that operate in certain sectors in which China restricts or prohibits foreign investments.
IV. For Templeton Developing Markets Trust and Franklin Templeton SMACS: Series EM, the following replaces the first paragraph in the “Fund Details – Principal Investment Policies and Practices – Portfolio Selection” sections of the prospectuses:
When choosing equity investments for the Fund, the investment manager applies a fundamental, research-driven, long-term approach, focusing on companies with sustainable earnings power that are trading at a discount to intrinsic worth. Alongside traditional financial and economic analyses, the investment manager assesses the potential impacts of material environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors on a company, which the investment manager believes provide a measure of the company’s sustainability. In analyzing ESG factors, the investment manager assesses how a company's practices are aimed at improving or maintaining the ESG footprint of its operating model and conducts a materiality-based ESG assessment. The following provides examples of ESG elements that can be taken into consideration when assessing a company:
· Environmental considerations, which can include issues such as resource efficiency, carbon emissions management, waste prevention and recycling and pollution prevention and control.
· Social considerations, which can include issues such as labor standards, fair wages, diversity and gender balance, health and safety practices and product safety.
· Governance considerations, which can include issues such as appropriate accounting practices, alignment of interests, board effectiveness, capital allocation, shareholder rights and quality of disclosures.
Consideration of ESG factors and risks is only one component of the investment manager’s assessment of issuers eligible for investment. The weight given to ESG factors may vary across types of investments, industries, regions and issuers and may change over time, and not every ESG factor may be identified or evaluated in the investment manager’s analysis.
V. For Templeton China World Fund and Templeton Emerging Markets Small Cap Fund, the following replaces the sixth and ninth paragraphs, respectively, in the “Fund Details – Principal Investment Policies and Practices” sections of the prospectuses:
Portfolio Selection
When choosing equity investments for the Fund, the investment manager applies a fundamental, research-driven, long-term approach, focusing on companies with sustainable earnings power that are trading at a discount to intrinsic worth. Alongside traditional financial and economic analyses, the investment manager assesses the potential impacts of material environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors on a company, which the investment manager believes provide a measure of the company’s sustainability. In analyzing ESG factors, the investment manager assesses how a company's practices are aimed at improving or maintaining the ESG footprint of its operating model and conducts a materiality-based ESG assessment. The following provides examples of ESG elements that can be taken into consideration when assessing a company:
· Environmental considerations, which can include issues such as resource efficiency, carbon emissions management, waste prevention and recycling and pollution prevention and control.
· Social considerations, which can include issues such as labor standards, fair wages, diversity and gender balance, health and safety practices and product safety.
· Governance considerations, which can include issues such as appropriate accounting practices, alignment of interests, board effectiveness, capital allocation, shareholder rights and quality of disclosures.
Consideration of ESG factors and risks is only one component of the investment manager’s assessment of issuers eligible for investment. The weight given to ESG factors may vary across types of investments, industries, regions and issuers and may change over time, and not every ESG factor may be identified or evaluated in the investment manager’s analysis.
VI. For Templeton Developing Markets Trust, the following is added to the “Fund Details – Principal Risks – Foreign Securities (non-U.S.) – China companies” section of the prospectus:
Certain investments in Chinese companies may be made through a special structure known as a VIE. In a VIE structure, foreign investors, such as the Fund, will only own stock in a shell company rather than directly in the VIE, which must be owned by Chinese nationals (and/or Chinese companies) to obtain the licenses and/or assets required to operate in a restricted or prohibited sector in China. The value of the shell company is derived from its ability to consolidate the VIE into its financials pursuant to contractual arrangements that allow the shell company to exert a degree of control over, and obtain economic benefits arising from, the VIE without formal legal ownership. While VIEs are a longstanding industry practice and are well known by Chinese officials and regulators, the structure historically has not been formally recognized under Chinese law and it is uncertain whether Chinese officials or regulators will withdraw their implicit acceptance of the structure. It is also uncertain whether the contractual arrangements, which may be subject to conflicts of interest between the legal owners of the VIE and foreign investors, would be enforced by Chinese courts or arbitration bodies. Prohibitions of these structures by the Chinese government, or the inability to enforce such contracts, from which the shell company derives its value, would likely cause the VIE-structured holding(s) to suffer significant, detrimental, and possibly permanent losses, and in turn, adversely affect the Fund’s returns and net asset value.
VII. For all Funds, the following is added after the “Fund Details – Principal Risks – Management” sections of the prospectuses:
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Considerations Risk
The investment manager’s portfolio selection strategy is not solely based on ESG considerations, and therefore the issuers in which the Fund invests may not be considered ESG-focused companies or may not have a high ESG risk profile. Consideration of ESG factors may affect the Fund’s exposure to certain issuers or industries and may not work as intended. In addition, ESG considerations assessed as part of the Fund’s investment process may vary across types of eligible investments and issuers, and not every ESG factor may be identified or evaluated for every investment. The investment manager’s assessment of an issuer may differ from that of other funds or an investor’s assessment of such issuer. As a result, securities selected by the investment manager may not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor. The investment manager also may be dependent on the availability of timely,
complete and accurate ESG data being reported by issuers and/or third-party research providers to evaluate ESG factors. ESG factors are often not uniformly measured or defined, which could impact the investment manager’s ability to assess an issuer. The Fund may underperform other funds that do not consider an issuer’s ESG factors or that use a different methodology to identify and/or incorporate ESG factors.
Please keep this supplement with your prospectus for future reference.
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS | |||||||
TEMPLETON DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST | |||||||
May 1, 2021 as amended January 28, 2022 | |||||||
Class A | Class C | Class R | Class R6 | Advisor Class |
TEDMX | TDMTX | TMDRX | FDEVX | TDADX |
Long-term capital appreciation.
These
tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund.
Please note that the tables and examples below do not reflect any transaction fees that may be charged by financial intermediaries, or commissions that a shareholder may be required to pay directly to its financial intermediary when buying or selling Class R6 or Advisor Class shares.
(fees paid directly from your investment)
| Class A | Class C | Class R | Class R6 | Advisor Class |
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as percentage of offering price) | |||||
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as percentage of the lower of original purchase price or sale proceeds) |
1.
| Class A | Class C | Class R | Class R6 | Advisor Class |
Management fees | |||||
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees | |||||
Other expenses | |||||
Total annual Fund operating expenses | |||||
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement2 | - | - | - | - | - |
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement1,2 |
1.
2.
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of the period. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example reflects adjustments made to the Fund's operating expenses due to the fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements by management for the 1 Year numbers only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Class A | $ | $ | $ | $ |
Class C | $ | $ | $ | $ |
Class R | $ | $ | $ | $ |
Class R6 | $ | $ | $ | $ |
Advisor Class | $ | $ | $ | $ |
Class C | $ | $
| $ | $ |
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 Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio
turnover rate was
The Fund's investments in equity securities may include investments in the securities of companies of any capitalization, including small and mid capitalization companies. The Fund also invests in American, Global, and European Depositary Receipts. The Fund, from time to time,
may have significant investments in one or more countries, such as China or South Korea, or in particular industries or sectors, such as information technology, based on economic conditions. Investments in Chinese companies also may be made through a special structure known as a variable interest entity (VIE) that is designed to provide foreign investors with exposure to Chinese companies that operate in certain sectors in which China restricts or prohibits foreign investments. In addition to the Fund's main investments, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in the securities of issuers in developed market countries.
The Fund is a "non-diversified" fund, which means it generally invests a greater portion of its assets in the securities of one or more issuers and invests overall in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. It is anticipated that the Fund typically will hold the securities of approximately 50-90 issuers.
When choosing equity investments for the Fund, the investment manager applies a fundamental research, value-oriented, long-term approach, focusing on the market price of a company’s securities relative to the investment manager's evaluation of the company's long-term earnings, asset value, cash flow potential, and sustainable earnings power at a discount to intrinsic worth. The investment manager also considers a company’s profit and loss outlook, balance sheet strength, cash flow trends and asset value in relation to the current price of the company's securities.
The investment manager may consider selling an equity security when it believes the security has become overvalued due to either its price appreciation or changes in the company's fundamentals, or when the investment manager believes another security is a more attractive investment opportunity.
Market The market values of securities or other investments owned by the Fund will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The market value of a security or other investment may be reduced by market activity or other results of supply and demand unrelated to the
issuer. This is a basic risk associated with all investments. When there are more sellers than buyers, prices tend to fall. Likewise, when there are more buyers than sellers, prices tend to rise.
The current global outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, has resulted in market closures and dislocations, extreme volatility, liquidity constraints and increased trading costs. Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in global travel restrictions and disruptions of healthcare systems, business operations and supply chains, layoffs, reduced consumer demand, defaults and credit ratings downgrades, and other significant economic impacts. The effects of COVID-19 have impacted global economic activity across many industries and may heighten other pre-existing political, social and economic risks, locally or globally. The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unpredictable and may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
Stock prices tend to go up and down more dramatically than those of debt securities. A slower-growth or recessionary economic environment could have an adverse effect on the prices of the various stocks held by the Fund.
Foreign Securities (non-U.S.) Investing in foreign securities typically involves more risks than investing in U.S. securities, and includes risks associated with: (i) internal and external political and economic developments – e.g., the political, economic and social policies and structures of some foreign countries may be less stable and more volatile than those in the U.S. or some foreign countries may be subject to trading restrictions or economic sanctions; (ii) trading practices – e.g., government supervision and regulation of foreign securities and currency markets, trading systems and brokers may be less than in the U.S.; (iii) availability of information – e.g., foreign issuers may not be subject to the same disclosure, accounting and financial reporting standards and practices as U.S. issuers; (iv) limited markets – e.g., the securities of certain foreign issuers may be less liquid (harder to sell) and more volatile; and (v) currency exchange rate fluctuations and policies. The risks of foreign investments may be greater in developing or emerging market countries.
There are special risks associated with investments in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, including exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, nationalization and exchange control regulations (including currency blockage). Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation and interest rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economy and securities markets of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In addition, investments in Taiwan and Hong Kong could be adversely affected by their respective political and economic relationship with China. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are deemed by the investment manager to be emerging markets countries, which means an investment in these countries has more heightened risks than general foreign investing due to a lack of
established legal, political, business and social frameworks in these countries to support securities markets as well as the possibility for more widespread corruption and fraud. In addition, the standards for environmental, social and corporate governance matters in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan tend to be lower than such standards in more developed economies.
Trade disputes and the imposition of tariffs on goods and services can affect the economies of countries in which the Fund invests particularly those countries with large export sectors, as well as the global economy. Trade disputes can result in increased costs of production and reduced profitability for non-export-dependent companies that rely on imports to the extent a country engages in retaliatory tariffs. Trade disputes may also lead to increased currency exchange rate volatility.
Certain investments in Chinese companies may be made through a special structure known as a VIE. In a VIE structure, foreign investors, such as the Fund, will only own stock in a shell company rather than directly in the VIE, which must be owned by Chinese nationals (and/or Chinese companies) to obtain the licenses and/or assets required to operate in a restricted or prohibited sector in China. The value of the shell company is derived from its ability to consolidate the VIE into its financials pursuant to contractual arrangements that allow the shell company to exert a degree of control over, and obtain economic benefits arising from, the VIE without formal legal ownership. While VIEs are a longstanding industry practice and are well known by Chinese officials and regulators, the structure historically has not been formally recognized under Chinese law and it is uncertain whether Chinese officials or regulators will withdraw their acceptance of the structure. It is also uncertain whether the contractual arrangements, which may be subject to conflicts of interest between the legal owners of the VIE and foreign investors, would be enforced by Chinese courts or arbitration bodies. Prohibitions of these structures by the Chinese government, or the inability to enforce such contracts, from which the shell company derives its value, would likely cause the VIE-structured holding(s) to suffer significant, detrimental, and possibly permanent losses, and in turn, adversely affect the Fund’s returns and net asset value.
Investments in South Korean issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to South Korea. In addition, economic and political developments of South Korea’s neighbors or potential hostilities with North Korea may have an adverse effect on the South Korean economy.
Developing Market Countries The Fund’s investments in securities of issuers in developing market countries are subject to all of the risks of foreign investing generally, and have additional heightened risks due to a lack of established legal, political, business and social frameworks to support securities markets, including: delays in settling portfolio securities transactions; currency and capital controls; greater
sensitivity to interest rate changes; pervasiveness of corruption and crime; currency exchange rate volatility; and inflation, deflation or currency devaluation.
The risks of investing in traditional developing markets are magnified in frontier markets countries (which are a subset of developing markets countries) because they generally have smaller economies and less developed capital markets than in traditional developing markets.
Focus To the extent that the Fund focuses on particular countries, regions, industries, sectors or types of investment from time to time, the Fund may be subject to greater risks of adverse developments in such areas of focus than a fund that invests in a wider variety of countries, regions, industries, sectors or investments.
Information technology companies.Companies operating within information technology related industries may be affected by worldwide technological developments, the success of their products and services (which may be outdated quickly), and investor perception of the company and/or its products or services. These companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They may also have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Technology companies are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. Technology companies are also potential targets for cyberattacks, which can have a materially adverse impact on the performance of these companies. The customers and/or suppliers of technology companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region or industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these countries, regions or industries could have a negative impact on these companies.
Small and Mid Capitalization Companies Securities issued by small and mid capitalization companies may be more volatile in price than those of larger companies and may involve additional risks. Such risks may include greater sensitivity to economic conditions, less certain growth prospects, lack of depth of management and funds for growth and development, and limited or less developed product lines and markets. In addition, small and mid capitalization companies may be particularly affected by interest rate increases, as they may find it more difficult to borrow money to continue or expand operations, or may have difficulty in repaying any loans.
Non-Diversification
Value Investing A value stock may not increase in price as anticipated by the investment manager if other investors fail to recognize the company's value and bid up the price, the markets favor faster-growing companies, or the factors that the investment manager believes will increase the price of the security do not occur or do not have the anticipated effect.
Management The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. The Fund's investment manager applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results.
The secondary index in the table below shows how the Fund's performance compares to a group of securities in an additional leading emerging markets index.
- |
(figures reflect sales charges)
For the periods ended December 31, 2020
| 1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class A |
|
|
|
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class C | |||
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class R | |||
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class R6 | |||
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Advisor Class | |||
1.
No one index is representative of the Fund's portfolio.
The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown only for Class A and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.
The figures in the average annual total returns table above reflect the Class A maximum front-end sales charge of 5.50%. Prior to September 10, 2018, Class A shares were subject to a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75%. If the prior maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75% was reflected, performance for Class A in the average annual total returns table would be lower.
Investment Manager
Templeton Asset Management Ltd. (Asset Management)
Sub-Advisor
Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (FTIML)
Portfolio Managers
Chetan
Sehgal, CFA
Portfolio manager of Asset Management and portfolio manager of the Fund since
2017.
Andrew Ness, CFA
Portfolio Manager of FTIML and portfolio manager of the Fund
since November 2020.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund on any business day online through our website at franklintempleton.com, by mail (Franklin Templeton Investor Services, P.O. Box 33030, St. Petersburg, FL 33733-8030) or by telephone at (800)-632-2301. For Class A, C and R, the minimum initial purchase for most accounts is $1,000 (or $25 under an automatic investment plan). Class R6 and Advisor Class are only available to certain qualified investors and the minimum initial investment will vary depending on the type of qualified investor, as described under "Your Account — Choosing a Share Class — Qualified Investors — Class R6" and "— Advisor Class" in the Fund's prospectus. There is no minimum investment for subsequent purchases.
Taxes
The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions would generally be taxed when withdrawn from the tax-deferred account.
Payments
to Broker-Dealers and
Other 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 salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
Franklin Distributors, LLC One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 franklintempleton.com Templeton Developing Markets Trust | |
Investment Company Act file #811-06378 © 2021 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.
| 711 PSUM 01/22 |