result of the Fund's
concentration in the Energy Equipment & Services Industry, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with that Industry. The Energy Equipment and Services
Industry includes drilling contractors or owners of drilling rigs that contract their services for drilling wells and manufacturers of equipment, including
drilling rigs and equipment, and providers of supplies and services to companies involved in the drilling, evaluation and completion of oil and gas wells. The prices of securities of companies in the Energy Equipment & Services Industry may fluctuate widely due to supply and demand for a specific product or service, the price of oil and gas, exploration and production spending, world events and economic conditions. Natural disasters also may affect companies in the Energy Equipment & Services Industry. In addition, companies involved in the Energy Equipment & Services Industry are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims. Disruptions in energy services may significantly impact companies in the Energy Equipment & Services Industry. Legislative or regulatory changes and increased government supervision also may affect companies in the Energy Equipment & Services Industry. The Energy Equipment & Services Industry is a separate industry within the Energy Sector.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and
unpredictably. These fluctuations may be frequent and significant. In addition, the Fund may incur losses as a result of various market and economic factors, such as those affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries, or from broader influences, such as general market conditions. In addition, developments related to economic, political (including geopolitical), social, public health, market, extreme weather, natural or man-made disasters or other conditions or events may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments and their value and performance. Under such conditions, the Fund (or an underlying fund) may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund’s investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities.
Mid-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund
is subject to the risk that mid-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of
mid-capitalization companies may be more speculative, volatile and less liquid than securities of large companies. Mid-capitalization companies tend to have inexperienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and
financial resources and may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than large capitalization companies.
Non-Diversification Risk—The Fund is considered non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in
securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single issuer's securities could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Portfolio Turnover Risk—The Fund’s strategy may frequently involve buying and selling portfolio securities, which
may lead to increased costs to the Fund. Portfolio turnover risk may cause the Fund’s performance to be less than you expect.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other
regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to the use of derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
Sector Risk—To the extent the Fund’s holdings have significant exposure to
one or more market sectors, the Fund may be especially sensitive to the developments affecting and risks of such market sectors. As of June 30, 2024, the Fund is subject to the Sector Risk described below.
Energy
Sector Risk. The Fund's investments are exposed to issuers conducting business in the Energy Sector. The Energy Sector includes companies operating in the exploration and production, refining and marketing, and storage and transportation of oil and gas and coal and consumable fuels. It also includes companies that offer oil and gas equipment and related services. The Fund is subject to the risk that the securities of such issuers will underperform the market as a whole due to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the Energy Sector. The performance of companies operating in the Energy Sector is closely tied to the price and supply of energy fuels and
international political events.