compared to investment grade
bonds and are typically less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit and
default risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as
operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund’s investments (directly or indirectly) can be comprised of high yield, below investment grade and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Industry Concentration Risk—The Fund may concentrate its investments in a
limited number of issuers conducting business in the same industry or group of related industries. To the extent the Fund does so, the Fund is more vulnerable to adverse market, economic, regulatory, political or other developments affecting that industry or group of related industries than a fund that invests its assets more broadly. As of June 30, 2024, the underlying index components, and thus the Fund's investments, are concentrated in securities issued by companies in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry. As a result of the Fund’s concentration in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with that Industry. The Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry includes manufacturers of semiconductor equipment, semiconductors and related products, including equipment used in the solar power industry and manufacturers of solar modules and cells. Companies in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry rely heavily on technology. The prices of the securities of companies in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry may fluctuate widely due to competitive pressures, increased sensitivity to short product cycles and aggressive pricing, heavy expenses incurred for research and development of products or services that prove unsuccessful, problems related to bringing products to market, and rapid obsolescence of products. Legislative or regulatory changes and increased government supervision also may affect companies in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry. The Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry is a separate industry within the Information Technology Sector.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed income and other debt instruments are subject to the
possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the
value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, which may cause the value of such securities to decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. The Fund’s yield, returns, and performance may be adversely affected by changing interest rates and the Fund’s NAV per share may be more volatile during changing interest rate environments. Changes in monetary policy may exacerbate the risks associated with changing interest rates. Changes in interest rates may also lead to an increase in Fund redemptions, which may result in high portfolio turnover costs and lower valuations, thereby adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds, affiliated short-term
fixed income funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the
underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro
rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF or a listed closed-end fund are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the NAV of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the shares.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations.
Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk,
counterparty risk, prepayment risk, risk of subordination to other creditors, extension risk, and risk of insufficient or lack of protection under the federal
securities laws. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans also can be difficult to value accurately, because of, among other factors, limited public