capitalization in the range of the MSCI ACWI ex
USA SMID Cap Index. The capitalization range of the index is subject to change at any time due to market
activity or changes in its composition. The range of the index generally widens over time and is reconstituted periodically to preserve its market cap characteristics.
The Fund measures a company’s capitalization at the time the Fund buys a security and is not required to sell a security if the company’s capitalization moves outside of the
Fund’s capitalization definition. The Fund will invest at least 65% of its total assets in foreign securities.
The Fund’s portfolio managers evaluate investment opportunities using a bottom-up investment approach. This approach includes fundamental analysis of a company’s financial statements,
management record and structure, operations, product development and industry competitive position. In
addition, the portfolio managers may also look for companies with conservatively-capitalized balance sheets, high and consistent internal rates of return, and a favorable market position within healthy and growing industries. These factors may vary in
particular cases and may change over time.
The portfolio managers consider the effect of worldwide trends on the growth of
particular business sectors and look for companies that may benefit from those trends. The portfolio managers monitor individual issuers for changes in the factors above, which may trigger a decision to sell a security.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As
with any mutual fund investment, loss of money is a risk of investing. An investment in the Fund is not a
deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other
governmental agency. The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase during times of significant market volatility. The principal risks of investing in the Fund
are:
Market Risk. The market values of the Fund’s investments, and therefore the value of the Fund’s shares, will go up and down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Market risk may
affect a single issuer, industry or section of the economy, or it may affect the market as a whole. The value of the Fund’s investments may go up or down due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to the
particular issuer, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook
for revenues or corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, regional or global instability, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health issues, war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, economic crisis or adverse
investor sentiment generally. During a general downturn in the financial markets, multiple asset classes may
decline in value. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that specific investments held by
the Fund will rise in value.
Investing in Stocks
Risk. The value of the Fund’s portfolio may be affected by changes in the stock markets. Stock markets may experience significant short-term volatility and may fall or
rise sharply at times. Adverse events in any part of the equity or fixed-income markets may have unexpected
negative effects on other market segments. Different stock markets may behave differently from each other and U.S. stock markets may move in the opposite direction from one or more foreign stock markets.
The prices of individual stocks generally do not all move in the same direction at
the same time. However, individual stock prices tend to go up and down more dramatically than those of certain other types of investments, such as bonds. A variety of factors can negatively affect the price of a particular company’s stock.
These factors may include, but are not limited to: poor earnings reports, a loss of customers, litigation against the company, general unfavorable performance of the company’s sector or industry, or changes in government regulations
affecting the company or its industry. To the extent that securities of a particular type are emphasized (for
example foreign stocks, stocks of small- or mid-cap companies, growth or value stocks, or stocks of
companies in a particular industry), fund share
values may fluctuate more in response to events affecting the market for those types of securities.
Small- and Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Investing in securities of
small- and mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. Stocks of small- and mid-capitalization companies tend to be more vulnerable to changing market conditions,
may have little or no operating history or track record of success, and may have more limited product lines
and markets, less experienced management and fewer financial resources than larger companies. These companies’ securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. They may be more sensitive to changes in a
company’s earnings expectations and may experience more abrupt and erratic price movements. Smaller
companies’ securities often trade in lower volumes and in many instances, are traded over-the-counter or on a regional securities exchange, where the frequency and volume of trading is substantially less than is typical for securities of larger companies
traded on national securities exchanges. Therefore, the securities of smaller companies may be subject to
wider price fluctuations and it might be harder for the Fund to dispose of its holdings at an acceptable price when it wants to sell them. Since small- and mid-cap companies typically reinvest a high proportion of their earnings in their business, they may not pay
dividends for some time, particularly if they are newer companies. It may take a substantial period of time to realize a gain on an investment in a small- or mid-cap company, if any gain is realized at all.
Sector Focus Risk. The Fund may from time to time have a significant amount of its assets invested in one market sector or group of
related industries. In this event, the Fund’s performance will depend to a greater extent on the
overall condition of the sector or group of industries and there is increased risk that the Fund will lose significant value if conditions adversely affect that sector or group of industries.
Foreign Securities
Risk. The Fund's foreign investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability, changes in economic or taxation policies, difficulty in
enforcing obligations, decreased liquidity or increased volatility. Foreign investments also involve the risk of the possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of the issuer or foreign deposits (in which the Fund could lose its entire
investments in a certain market) and the possible adoption of foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls. Foreign companies generally may be subject to less stringent regulations than U.S. companies, including
financial reporting requirements and auditing and accounting controls, and may therefore be more
susceptible to fraud or corruption. There may be less public information available about foreign companies
than U.S. companies, making it difficult to evaluate those foreign companies. Unless the Fund has hedged its
foreign currency exposure, foreign securities risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate
fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate
significantly over short periods of time. Currency hedging strategies, if used, are not always
successful.
Geographic Focus
Risk. The Fund may from time to time have a substantial amount of its assets invested in securities of issuers located in a single country or a limited number of
countries. Adverse economic, political or social conditions in those countries may therefore have a significant negative impact on the Fund’s investment performance.
Japan Investment
Risk. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its total assets in securities of issuers from Japan. The growth of Japan’s economy has recently lagged behind
that of its Asian neighbors and other major developed economies. The Japanese economy is heavily dependent
on international trade and may be adversely affected by trade tariffs, other protectionist measures,
dependence on exports and international trade, increasing competition from Asia’s other low-cost emerging economies, political and social instability, regional and global conflicts and natural