711 P1 03/24
TEMPLETON DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUPPLEMENT DATED MARCH 22, 2024
TO THE PROSPECTUS DATED MAY 1, 2023
The following replaces the Average Annual Total Returns table in the section of the Fund’s Prospectus entitled “Performance”:
Average Annual Total Returns
(figures reflect sales charges)
For periods ended December 31, 2022
|
| 1 Year |
| 5 Years |
| 10 Years |
| Since Inception |
| |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Return before taxes |
| -26.48% |
| -2.74% |
| 0.47% |
| — |
|
| Return after taxes on distributions |
| -27.20% |
| -3.50% |
| -0.42% |
| — |
|
| Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares |
| -14.87% |
| -1.81% |
| 0.49% |
| — |
|
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class C |
| -23.53% |
| -2.35% |
| 0.30% |
| — |
| |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class R |
| -22.40% |
| -1.87% |
| 0.80% |
| — |
| |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class R6 |
| -21.90% |
| -1.24% |
| — |
| 1.41% | 1 | |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Advisor Class |
| -22.01% |
| -1.38% |
| 1.30% |
| — |
| |
MSCI Emerging Markets Index-NR (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes but are net of dividend tax withholding) |
| -20.09% |
| -1.40% |
| 1.44% |
| — |
| |
|
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1. | Since inception May 1, 2013. |
Please keep this supplement with your prospectus for future reference.
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS | |||||||
May 1, 2023 as amended, March 22, 2024 | |||||||
Class A | Class C | Class R | Class R6 | Advisor Class |
TEDMX | TDMTX | TDMRX | FDEVX | TDADX |
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information, reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund online at www.franklintempleton.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236 or by sending an e-mail request to prospectus@franklintempleton.com. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated May 1, 2023, as may be supplemented, are all incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
Fund Summary
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
| |
Maximum Sales Charge
(Load) |
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Maximum Deferred Sales Charge | 1 |
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1. | There is a 1% contingent deferred sales charge that applies to investments of $1 Million or more (see "Investment of $1 Million or More" under "Choosing a Share Class") and purchases by certain retirement plans without an initial sales charge on shares sold within 18 months of purchase. |
2 | Summary Prospectus | franklintempleton.com |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
| Class A |
| Class C |
| Class R |
| Class R6 |
| Advisor
|
Management fees |
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Distribution and service (12b-1) fees |
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Other expenses |
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Acquired fund fees and expenses |
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Total annual Fund operating expenses1 |
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Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement2 | - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement |
|
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|
|
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 |
| $ |
| $ |
| $ |
| $ |
franklintempleton.com | Summary Prospectus | 3 |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
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-driven, long-term approach, focusing on companies with
4 | Summary Prospectus | franklintempleton.com |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
sustainable earnings power that are trading at a discount to intrinsic worth. In assessing individual investment opportunities, the investment manager considers a variety of factors, including 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 also focuses on incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors throughout the investment process, including the Fund’s security-selection and portfolio construction process.
The Fund focuses on companies with appropriate and/or good management of material ESG issues, and in analyzing ESG factors, the investment manager conducts a materiality-based ESG assessment through both in-depth research and engagement with companies as appropriate to assess how a company's practices are aimed at improving or maintaining the ESG footprint of its operating model. 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.
In addition, the investment manager assesses the potential for improvement through the Fund’s engagement as an active owner. These are targeted engagements with specific goals and objectives based on scope for improvement. The investment manager seeks companies that are good or improving stewards aligned with shareholder interest and the investment manager’s governance assessment includes regular dialogue with companies, monitoring material ESG issues and voting proxies.
The Fund also applies specific ESG exclusions, including companies which, according to the investment manager’s analysis:
· repeatedly and/or seriously violate the United Nations Global Compact Principles;
· manufacture nuclear or controversial weapons defined as anti-personnel mines, biological & chemical weaponry, depleted uranium and cluster munitions or those that manufacture components intended for use in such
franklintempleton.com | Summary Prospectus | 5 |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
weapons (companies that derive more than 5% revenue from any other weapons are also be excluded);
· derive more than 25% of their revenue from thermal coal extraction; or
· manufacture tobacco or tobacco products.
In certain circumstances, there may be times when not every investment is assessed for ESG factors and, when they are, not every ESG factor may be identified or evaluated.
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, when there is significant deterioration of its ESG factors, 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 global outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19 and its subsequent variants, has resulted in market closures and dislocations, extreme volatility, liquidity constraints and increased trading costs. The long-term impact on economies, markets, industries and individual issuers, is not known. Some sectors of the economy and individual issuers have experienced or may experience particularly large losses. Periods of extreme volatility in the financial markets; reduced liquidity of many instruments; and disruptions to supply chains, consumer demand and employee availability, may continue for some time.
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,
6 | Summary Prospectus | franklintempleton.com |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
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 – e.g., fluctuations may negatively affect investments denominated in foreign currencies and any income received or expenses paid by the Fund in that foreign currency.
There are special risks associated with investments in China, including expropriation, confiscatory taxation, nationalization and exchange control regulations (including currency blockage). Heightened geopolitical risks and adverse Government policies can have an impact on Chinese companies. In addition, investments in Taiwan and Hong Kong could be adversely affected by their political and economic relationship with China. Chinese companies with securities listed on U.S. securities exchanges, including those that utilize VIE structures, may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, which could significantly decrease the liquidity and value of such investments. In addition, the standards for environmental, social and corporate governance matters in Greater China tend to be lower than such standards in more developed economies. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against companies located in or operating in China and shareholders may have limited legal remedies.
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 are 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
franklintempleton.com | Summary Prospectus | 7 |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
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), anticipated products or services that are delayed or cancelled, and investor perception of the company and/or its products or services. These companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product
8 | Summary Prospectus | franklintempleton.com |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
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. There can be no assurance these companies will be able to successfully protect their intellectual property to prevent the misappropriation of their technology, or that competitors will not develop technology that is substantially similar or superior to such companies’ technology. These companies typically engage in significant amounts of spending on research and development, and there is no guarantee that the products or services produced by these companies will be successful. 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 Style 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.
ESG Considerations ESG considerations are one of a number of factors that the investment manager examines when considering investments for the Fund’s
franklintempleton.com | Summary Prospectus | 9 |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
portfolio. In light of this, the issuers in which the Fund invests may not be considered ESG-focused issuers and may have lower or adverse ESG assessments. 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. In certain circumstances, there may be times when not every investment is assessed for ESG factors and, when they are, not every ESG factor may be identified or evaluated. The investment manager’s assessment of an issuer’s ESG factors is subjective and will likely differ from that of investors, third party service providers (e.g., ratings providers) and other funds. 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 reported by issuers and/or third-party research providers, the timeliness, completeness and accuracy of which is out of the investment manager’s control. ESG factors are often not uniformly measured or defined, which could impact the investment manager’s ability to assess an issuer. While the investment manager views ESG considerations as having the potential to contribute to the Fund’s long-term performance, there is no guarantee that such results will be achieved.
Cybersecurity Cybersecurity incidents, both intentional and unintentional, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, cause the Fund, the investment manager, and/or their service providers (including, but not limited to, Fund accountants, custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality or prevent Fund investors from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The investment manager has limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third party service providers, and such third party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Fund or the investment manager. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in an effort to prevent or mitigate future cybersecurity incidents. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of these securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.
Because technology is frequently changing, new ways to carry out cyber attacks are always developing. Therefore, there is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the Fund's ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund, the investment manager, and their
10 | Summary Prospectus | franklintempleton.com |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time.
- |
franklintempleton.com | Summary Prospectus | 11 |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
(figures reflect sales charges)
For periods ended December 31, 2022
|
| 1 Year |
| 5 Years |
| 10 Years |
| Since Inception |
| |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class A |
|
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| |
|
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- |
| - |
| |
| — |
| |
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- |
| - |
| - |
| — |
| |
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- |
| - |
| |
| — |
| |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class C |
| - |
| - |
| |
| — |
| |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class R |
| - |
| - |
| |
| — |
| |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Class R6 |
| - |
| - |
| — |
|
| 1 | |
Templeton Developing Markets Trust - Advisor Class |
| - |
| - |
| |
| — |
| |
| - |
|
- |
| |
| — |
| ||
1. | Since inception May 1, 2013. |
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-advantaged 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
12 | Summary Prospectus | franklintempleton.com |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
Director of Global Emerging Markets/Small Cap Strategies of Templeton Emerging Markets Group and portfolio manager of Asset Management and portfolio manager of the Fund since 2017.
Andrew Ness, ASIP
Portfolio Manager of FTIML and portfolio manager of the Fund since 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-advantaged 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-advantaged 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.
franklintempleton.com | Summary Prospectus | 13 |
TEMPLETON
DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
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DEVELOPING MARKETS TRUST
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franklintempleton.com | Summary Prospectus | 15 |
Franklin Distributors, LLC One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 franklintempleton.com Templeton Developing Markets Trust | |
Investment Company Act file #811-06378 © 2023 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.
| 711 PSUM 03/24 |