However, if market conditions suggest that debt securities may offer better growth opportunities than stocks, or if the Manager determines to seek a higher income for liquidity purposes, the Manager may shift up to 10% of the Fund's net assets into debt securities.
Special Risks of Lower-Grade Securities.
Lower rated securities generally have a greater risk that the issuer may default on its obligation to pay interest or to repay principal than in the case of investment-grade securities. The issuer's lower credit rating may also increase the potential for its insolvency. There may be less of a market for lower-grade securities and therefore they may be harder to sell at an acceptable price. As a result of limited liquidity, the prices of lower-grade securities have at times experienced significant and rapid decline when a substantial number of investors have decided to sell, which is more likely during a period of a general economic downturn. An economic downturn or an increase in interest rates could severely disrupt the market for lower-grade bonds and adversely affect the values of outstanding bonds.
It is not anticipated that the Fund will invest a substantial portion of its assets in lower-grade debt securities.
Floating Rate and Variable Rate Obligations.
Some debt securities have variable or floating interest rates. The interest rates on floating rate obligations change based on changes to a stated prevailing base market interest rate, such as a bank's prime rate, the 91-day U.S. Treasury Bill rate, the rate of return on commercial paper or bank certificates of deposit, LIBOR or some other standard. The interest rate on a floating rate obligation is adjusted automatically at specified times to give effect to changes in the base rate. The interest rate on a variable rate obligation is adjusted at stated periodic intervals to reflect current market interest rates. Generally, the changes in the interest rate on floating and variable rate obligations reduce the fluctuation in their market value, so the potential for capital appreciation or depreciation is less than that for comparable fixed-rate obligations.
Floating rate and variable rate obligations may have features that permit the holder to recover the principal amount of the security at specified intervals, generally not exceeding one year, upon notice to the issuer. Variable rate obligations may have a demand feature that allows the holder to tender the obligation to the issuer or a third party at certain times, generally for par value plus accrued interest, according to the terms of the obligations. The issuer of a demand obligation normally has a corresponding right in its discretion, after a given period, to prepay the outstanding principal amount of the security plus accrued interest. The issuer usually must provide a specified number of days' notice to the holder. Variable rate demand obligations may include master demand notes, which are obligations that permit the fund to invest fluctuating amounts in them.
The credit quality of a floating rate or variable rate obligation may be enhanced by being backed by a letter of credit or guarantee issued by a financial institution, corporation, the U.S. government or other entity.
Mortgage-Related Debt Securities.
Mortgage-related securities are a form of fixed-income investment collateralized by pools of commercial or residential mortgages. Pools of mortgage loans are assembled as securities for sale to investors by government agencies or entities or by private issuers. These securities include collateralized mortgage obligations, mortgage pass-through securities, stripped mortgage pass-through securities, interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits ("REMICs") and other real estate-related securities.
Mortgage-related securities that are issued or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government may have relatively little credit risk (depending on the nature of the issuer) but are subject to interest rate risks and prepayment risks.
As with other debt securities, the prices of mortgage-related securities tend to move inversely to changes in interest rates. Some mortgage-related securities have interest rates that move in the opposite direction from changes in general interest rates, based on changes in a specific interest rate index. The changes in those interest rates may also occur at a multiple of the changes in the index. Although the value of a mortgage-related security may decline when interest rates rise, the opposite is not always the case. In addition, the values of mortgage-related debt securities may be affected by changes in the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the entity issuing the securities or guaranteeing them and by changes in government regulations and tax policies.
Mortgage Prepayment and Extension Risks.
In periods of declining interest rates, mortgages are more likely to be prepaid and a mortgage-related security's maturity may be shortened by unscheduled prepayments on the underlying mortgages. If principal is returned earlier than expected, that money may have to be reinvested in other investments having a lower yield than the prepaid security. Because of these risks, mortgage-related securities may be less effective as a means of "locking in" attractive long-term interest rates and they may have less potential for appreciation during periods of declining interest rates than conventional bonds.
Prepayment risks can lead to substantial fluctuations in the value of a mortgage-related security. If a mortgage-related security has been purchased at a premium, all or part of the premium may be lost if there is a decline in the market value of the security as a result of interest rate changes or prepayments on the underlying mortgages. In the case of stripped mortgage-related securities, if they experience greater rates of prepayment than were anticipated, the Fund may fail to recover its initial investment on the security.
During periods of rapidly rising interest rates, prepayments of mortgage-related securities may occur at slower than expected rates. Slower prepayments may effectively lengthen a mortgage-related security's expected maturity. Generally, that would cause the value of the security to fluctuate more widely in response to changes in interest rates. If the prepayments on mortgage-related securities were to decrease broadly, the Fund's effective duration and therefore its sensitivity to interest rates, would increase.
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations.
Collateralized mortgage obligations or "CMOs" are multi-class bonds that are backed by pools of mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through certificates. They may be collateralized by:
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pass-through certificates issued or guaranteed by Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae"), Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac"),
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unsecuritized mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs,
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unsecuritized conventional mortgages,
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other mortgage-related securities, or
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any combination of these.
Each class of CMO, referred to as a "tranche," is issued at a specific coupon rate and has a stated maturity or final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the underlying mortgages may cause the CMO to be retired much earlier than the stated maturity or final distribution date. The principal and interest on the underlying mortgages may be allocated among the several classes of a series of a CMO in different ways. One or more tranches may have coupon rates that reset periodically at a specified increase over an index. These are floating rate CMOs, and typically have a cap on the coupon rate. Inverse floating rate CMOs have a coupon rate that moves in the reverse direction to an applicable index. The coupon rate on these CMOs will increase as general interest rates decrease. These are usually much more volatile than fixed-rate CMOs or floating rate CMOs.
U.S. Government Securities.
Securities issued by the U.S. Treasury are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and are subject to relatively little credit risk. Obligations of U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities (including mortgage-backed securities) may be guaranteed or supported by the "full faith and credit" of the United States or may be backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agencies' or instrumentalities' obligations. Others are supported only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality. "Full faith and credit" means that the taxing power of the U.S. government is pledged to the payment of interest and repayment of principal on a security. If a security is not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the owner of the security must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing the obligation for repayment.
U.S. Treasury Obligations.
These securities are directly issued by the U.S. Treasury. They include Treasury bills (which have maturities of one year or less when issued), Treasury notes (which have maturities of more than one year and up to ten years when issued), Treasury bonds (which have maturities of more than ten years when issued), and Treasury Inflation-Protection Securities. Other U.S. Treasury obligations include U.S. Treasury securities that have been "stripped" by a Federal Reserve Bank and zero-coupon U.S. Treasury securities. Treasury securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States as to timely payments of interest and repayments of principal. While U.S. Treasury securities have relatively little credit risk, they are subject to price fluctuations from changes in interest rates.
Treasury Inflation-Protection Securities ("TIPS").
TIPS are designed to provide an investment vehicle that is not vulnerable to inflation. The interest rate paid by TIPS is fixed. The principal value rises or falls semi-annually based on changes in the published Consumer Price Index. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments will be adjusted downward, although the principal will not fall below its face amount at maturity.
Obligations Issued or Guaranteed by U.S. Government Agencies or Instrumentalities.
These include direct obligations and mortgage-related securities that have different levels of credit support from the government. Some are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, such as Government National Mortgage Association pass-through mortgage certificates. Some are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury under certain circumstances, such as Federal National Mortgage Association bonds and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation obligations.
U.S. Government Mortgage-Related Securities.
The Fund can invest in a variety of mortgage-related securities that are issued by U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities, some of which are described below.
Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae") Certificates.
Ginnie Mae is a wholly-owned corporate instrumentality of the United States within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ginnie Mae's principal programs involve its guarantees of privately-issued securities backed by pools of mortgages. Ginnie Maes are debt securities representing an interest in one or a pool of mortgages that are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the "FHA") or the Farmers Home Administration (the "FMHA") or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (the "VA").
Ginnie Mae obligations are of the "fully modified pass-through" type. They provide that the registered holders of the Ginnie Mae certificates will receive timely monthly payments of the pro-rata share of the scheduled principal payments on the underlying mortgages, whether or not those amounts are collected by the issuers. Amounts paid include, on a pro rata basis, any prepayment of principal of such mortgages and interest (net of servicing and other charges) on the aggregate unpaid principal balance of the Ginnie Maes, whether or not the interest on the underlying mortgages has been collected by the issuers.
Ginnie Maes are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest. In giving that guaranty, Ginnie Mae expects that payments received by the issuers on account of the mortgages backing the Ginnie Mae certificates will be sufficient to make the required payments of principal and interest. However, if those payments are insufficient, the guaranty agreements between the issuers of the certificates and Ginnie Mae require the issuers to make advances sufficient for the payments. If the issuers fail to make those payments, Ginnie Mae will do so.
Under federal law, the full faith and credit of the United States is pledged to the payment of all amounts that may be required to be paid under any guaranty issued by Ginnie Mae as to such mortgage pools. An opinion of an Assistant Attorney General of the United States, dated December 9, 1969, states that such guaranties "constitute general obligations of the United States backed by its full faith and credit." Ginnie Mae is empowered to borrow from the United States Treasury to the extent necessary to make any payments of principal and interest required under those guaranties.
Ginnie Mae certificates are backed by the aggregate indebtedness secured by the underlying FHA-insured, FMHA-insured or VA-guaranteed mortgages. Except to the extent of payments received by the issuers on account of such mortgages, Ginnie Mae certificates do not constitute a liability of those issuers, nor do they evidence any recourse against those issuers. Recourse is solely against Ginnie Mae. Holders of Ginnie Mae certificates have no security interest in or lien on the underlying mortgages.
Monthly payments of principal will be made, and additional prepayments of principal may be made, with respect to the mortgages underlying the Ginnie Maes. All of the mortgages in the pools relating to Ginnie Mae are subject to prepayment without any significant premium or penalty, at the option of the mortgagors. While the mortgages on one-to-four-family dwellings underlying certain Ginnie Mae certificates have a stated maturity of up to thirty (30) years, it has been the experience of the mortgage industry that the average life of comparable mortgages, as a result of prepayments, refinancing and payments from foreclosures, is considerably less.
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac") Certificates.
Freddie Mac, a corporate instrumentality of the United States, issues Freddie Mac certificates representing interests in mortgage loans. Freddie Mac guarantees to each registered holder of a Freddie Mac certificate timely payment of the amounts representing a holder's proportionate share in:
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interest payments less servicing and guarantee fees,
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principal prepayments, and
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the ultimate collection of amounts representing the holder's proportionate interest in principal payments on the mortgage loans in the pool represented by the Freddie Mac certificate, in each case whether or not such amounts are actually received.
The obligations of Freddie Mac under its guarantees are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States but are supported by the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the commitment of the U.S. Treasury.
Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae") Certificates.
Fannie Mae, a federally-chartered and privately-owned corporation, issues Fannie Mae Certificates which are backed by a pool of mortgage loans. Fannie Mae guarantees to each registered holder of a Fannie Mae certificate that the holder will receive amounts representing the holder's proportionate interest in scheduled principal and interest payments, and any principal prepayments, on the mortgage loans in the pool represented by such certificate, less servicing and guarantee fees, and the holder's proportionate interest in the full principal amount of any foreclosed or other liquidated mortgage loan. In each case the guarantee applies whether or not those amounts are actually received. The obligations of Fannie Mae under its guarantees are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States but are supported by the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the commitment of the U.S. Treasury.
Zero-Coupon U.S. Government Securities.
The Fund may buy zero-coupon U.S. government securities. These will typically be U.S. Treasury Notes and Bonds that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons, the coupons themselves, or certificates representing interests in those stripped debt obligations and coupons.
Zero-coupon securities do not make periodic interest payments and are sold at a deep discount from their face value at maturity. The buyer recognizes a rate of return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed at face value on a specified maturity date. This discount depends on the time remaining until maturity, as well as prevailing interest rates, the liquidity of the security and the credit quality of the issuer. The discount typically decreases as the maturity date approaches.
Because zero-coupon securities pay no interest and compound semi-annually at the rate fixed at the time of their issuance, their value is generally more volatile than the value of other debt securities that pay interest. Their value may fall more dramatically than the value of interest-bearing securities when interest rates rise. When prevailing interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities tend to rise more rapidly in value because they have a fixed rate of return.
The Fund's investment in zero-coupon securities may cause the Fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on the zero-coupon investment. To generate cash to satisfy those distribution requirements, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities that it otherwise might have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of Fund shares.
"Stripped" Mortgage-Related Securities.
The Fund may invest in stripped mortgage-related securities that are created by segregating the cash flows from underlying mortgage loans or mortgage securities to create two or more new securities. Each has a specified percentage of the underlying security's principal or interest payments. These are a form of derivative investment.
Mortgage securities may be partially stripped so that each class receives some interest and some principal. However, they may be completely stripped. In that case all of the interest is distributed to holders of one type of security, known as an "interest-only" security, or "I/O," and all of the principal is distributed to holders of another type of security, known as a "principal-only" security or "P/O." Strips can be created for pass-through certificates or CMOs.
The yields to maturity of I/Os and P/Os are very sensitive to principal repayments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgages. If the underlying mortgages experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund might not fully recoup its investment in an I/O based on those assets. If underlying mortgages experience less than anticipated prepayments of principal, the yield on the P/Os based on them could decline substantially. The market for some of these securities may be limited, making it difficult for the Fund to dispose of its holdings at an acceptable price.
"Structured" Investments.
"Structured" investments are financial instruments and contractual obligations designed to provide a specific risk-reward profile. A structured instrument is generally a hybrid security (often referred to as "hybrids") that combines characteristics of two or more different financial instruments. The terms of these investments may be contractually "structured" by the purchaser and the issuer (which is typically associated with an investment banking firm) of the instrument. Structured investments may have certain features of equity and debt securities, but may also have additional features. The key characteristics of structured investments are:
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They change the risk or return on an underlying investment asset (such as a bond, money market instrument, loan or equity security), or
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They may replicate the risk or return of an underlying investment asset.
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They typically involve the combination of an investment asset and a derivative.
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The derivative is an integral part of the structure, not just a temporary hedging tool.
The returns on these investments may be linked to the value of an index (such as a currency or securities index) or a basket of instruments (a portfolio of assets, such as, high yield bonds, emerging market bonds, equities from a specific industry sector, a broad-based equity index or commodities), an individual stock, bond or other security, an interest rate, or a commodity. Some of the types of structured investments are:
The values of structured investments will normally rise or fall in response to the changes in the performance of the underlying index, security, interest rate or commodity. Certain structured investments may offer full or partial principal protection, or may pay a variable amount at maturity, or may pay a coupon linked to a specific security or index while leaving the principal at risk. These investments may be used to seek to realize gain or limit exposure to price fluctuations and help control risk.
Depending on the terms of the particular instrument, structured investments may be subject to equity market risk, commodity market risk, currency market risk or interest rate risk. Structured notes are subject to credit risk with respect to the issuer of the instrument (referred to as "counter-party" risk) and, for structured debt investments, might also be subject to credit risk with respect to the issuer of the underlying investment. For notes that do not include principal protection (a form of insurance), a main risk is the possible loss of principal. There is a legal risk involved with holding complex instruments, where regulatory or tax considerations may change during the term of a note. Some structured investments may create leverage, which involves additional risks.
If the underlying investment or index does not perform as anticipated, the investment might not result in a gain or may cause a loss. The price of structured investments may be very volatile and they may have a limited trading market, making it difficult for the Fund to value them or sell them at an acceptable price. Usually structured investments are considered illiquid investments for purposes of limits on those investments.
Money Market Instruments.
The following is a brief description of the types of money market securities the Fund can invest in. Money market securities are high-quality, short-term debt instruments that may be issued by the U.S. government, corporations, banks or other entities. They may have fixed, variable or floating interest rates.
U.S. Government Securities.
These include obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities.
Bank Obligations.
Bank obligations include time deposits, certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances and other bank obligations that are fully insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC"). The FDIC currently insures the deposits of member banks up to $250,000 per account. Bank obligations also include obligations issued or guaranteed by a domestic bank (including a foreign branch of a domestic bank) having total assets of at least U.S. $1 billion, or obligations of a foreign bank with total assets of at least U.S. $1 billion. Those banks may include commercial banks, savings banks, and savings and loan associations that may or may not be members of the FDIC.
Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits in a bank for a specified period of time at a stated interest rate. Time deposits may be subject to withdrawal notices and penalties.
Bankers' acceptances are marketable short-term credit instruments used to finance the import, export, transfer or storage of goods. They are deemed "accepted" when a bank guarantees their payment at maturity.
Bank obligations may have a limited market and may be deemed "illiquid" unless the obligation, including principal amount plus accrued interest, is payable within seven days after demand. Time deposits that are subject to withdrawal notices and penalties, other than those maturing in seven days or less, are also considered illiquid investments.
Commercial Paper.
The Fund can invest in commercial paper if it is rated within the top two rating categories of Standard & Poor's and Moody's. If the paper is not rated, it may be purchased if issued by a company having a credit rating of at least "AA" by Standard & Poor's or "Aa" by Moody's.
The Fund can buy commercial paper, including U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign branches of U.S. banks, issued by other entities if the commercial paper is guaranteed as to principal and interest by a bank, government or corporation whose certificates of deposit or commercial paper may otherwise be purchased by the Fund.
Variable Amount Master Demand Notes.
Master demand notes are direct arrangements of obligations, between a lender and a corporate borrower, that permit the investment of fluctuating amounts of money at varying rates of interest. They permit daily changes in the amounts borrowed. The lender has the right to increase or decrease the amount it lends under the note at any time, up to the full amount provided by the note agreement. The borrower may prepay up to the full amount of the note without penalty. These notes may or may not be backed by bank letters of credit.
These notes are direct lending arrangements between the lender and borrower and there is no secondary market for them. The principal plus accrued interest is redeemable at any time, however. This right to redeem the notes depends on the ability of the borrower to make the specified payments on demand. The Sub-Adviser will consider the earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios of an issuer, and its ability to pay principal and interest on demand, including a situation in which all holders of such notes made demand simultaneously. Investments in master demand notes are subject to the limitation on investments in illiquid securities.
The Fund does not currently intend to invest more than 5% of its total assets in variable amount master demand notes. The Fund has no limitations on the type of issuer from whom these notes will be purchased.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Transactions.
"When-issued" and "delayed-delivery" are terms that refer to securities whose documentation are available, and for which a market exists, but which are not available for immediate delivery to a purchaser. When-issued and delayed-delivery securities are purchased at a price that is fixed at the time of the transaction with payment and delivery of the security made at a later date. During the period between purchase and settlement, the buyer makes no payment to the issuer (or seller) of the security and no interest accrues to the buyer from the investment. Purchases on that basis are made when it is anticipated that the price at the time of the transaction is lower than the price will be at the time of delivery.
The securities are subject to change in value from market fluctuations during the period until settlement and the value of the security on the delivery date may be more or less than the purchase price. If the value of the security declines below the purchase price, the transaction may lose money.
The buyer relies on the other party to complete the when-issued or delayed-delivery transactions. The buyer will bear the risk that a security purchased on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis may not be issued or may not be delivered as agreed. A failure to do so may cause the loss of an opportunity to obtain the security at an advantageous price or yield.
When-issued and delayed-delivery transactions can be used as a defensive technique to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates and prices. For instance, if rising interest rates or falling prices are anticipated, a portfolio security may be sold on a delayed-delivery basis to attempt to limit exposure to those occurrences. In periods of falling interest rates and rising prices, a purchase of securities on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis may be used to obtain the benefit of currently higher cash yields.
The Fund engages in when-issued and delayed-delivery transactions for the purpose of acquiring or selling securities consistent with its investment objective and policies or for delivery pursuant to options contracts it has entered into, and not for the purpose of investment leverage. Although the Fund will enter into delayed-delivery or when-issued purchase transactions to acquire securities, it can dispose of a commitment prior to settlement. If it chooses to dispose of the right to acquire a when-issued security prior to its acquisition or to dispose of its right to receive delivery, it may incur a gain or loss.
At the time of the commitment to purchase or sell a security on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis, the Fund records the transaction on its books and reflects the value of the security purchased in determining its net asset value. It also identifies liquid assets on its books at least equal to the amount of the purchase commitment until it pays for the investment. In a sale transaction, it records the proceeds to be received.
Repurchase Agreements.
The Fund may acquire securities subject to repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements may be acquired for temporary defensive purposes, to maintain liquidity to meet anticipated share redemptions, pending the investment of the proceeds from sales of shares, or pending the settlement of portfolio securities transactions. In a repurchase transaction, the purchaser buys a security from, and simultaneously resells it to, an approved institution for delivery on an agreed-upon future date. The resale price exceeds the purchase price by an amount that reflects an agreed-upon interest rate effective for the period during which the repurchase agreement is in effect. Approved institutions include U.S. commercial banks, U.S. branches of foreign banks, or broker-dealers that have been designated as primary dealers in government securities. Institutions must meet credit requirements set by the Sub-Adviser from time to time.
The majority of repurchase transactions run from day to day and delivery pursuant to the resale typically occurs within one to five days of the purchase. Repurchase agreements that have a maturity beyond seven days are subject to limits on illiquid investments. There is no limit on the amount of assets that may be subject to repurchase agreements having maturities of seven days or less.
Repurchase agreements are considered "loans" under the Investment Company Act and are collateralized by the underlying security. Repurchase agreements require that at all times while the repurchase agreement is in effect, the value of the collateral must equal or exceed the repurchase price to fully collateralize the repayment obligation. However, if the institution fails to pay the repurchase price on the delivery date, there may be costs incurred in disposing of the collateral and losses if there is a delay in the ability to do so. The Sub-Adviser will monitor the institution's creditworthiness to confirm that it is financially sound and will continuously monitor the collateral's value.
Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), the Fund, along with the affiliated entities managed by the Manager, may transfer uninvested cash balances into one or more joint repurchase agreement accounts. These balances are invested in one or more repurchase agreements secured by U.S. government securities. Securities that are pledged as collateral for repurchase agreements are held by a custodian bank until the agreements mature. Each joint repurchase arrangement requires that the market value of the collateral be sufficient to cover payments of interest and principal; however, in the event of default by the other party to the agreement, retention or sale of the collateral may be subject to legal proceedings.
The Fund will not enter into a repurchase agreement that causes more than 10% of its net assets to be subject to repurchase agreements having a maturity beyond seven days.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements.
The Fund may engage in reverse repurchase agreements. A reverse repurchase agreement is the sale of a debt obligation to a party for a specified price, with the simultaneous agreement to repurchase it from that party on a future date at a higher price. These transactions involve the risk that the market value of the securities sold under a reverse repurchase agreement could decline below the price that the Fund is required to repurchase them. The Fund will identify liquid assets on its books to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements until payment is made to the other party.
Illiquid and Restricted Securities.
Generally, an illiquid asset is an asset that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the price at which it has been valued. Under the policies and procedures established by the Board, the Sub-Adviser determines the liquidity of portfolio investments. The Sub-Adviser monitors holdings of illiquid and restricted securities on an ongoing basis to determine whether to sell any holdings to maintain adequate liquidity. Among the types of illiquid securities are repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days. Liquidity may dissipate at anytime and there can be no assurance that the Sub-Adviser's liquidity determinations will be correct or that a reduction in liquidity will not occur between the time such determination is made and an event prompting the Fund to sell a security.
Restricted securities acquired through private placements have contractual restrictions on their public resale that might limit the ability to value or to dispose of the securities and might lower the price that could be realized on a sale. To sell a restricted security that is not registered under applicable securities laws, the securities might need to be registered. The expense of registering restricted securities may be negotiated with the issuer at the time of purchase. If the securities must be registered in order to be sold, a significant period may elapse between the time the decision is made to sell the security and the time the security is registered. There is a risk of downward price fluctuation during that period.
Limitations that apply to purchases of restricted securities do not limit purchases of restricted securities that are eligible for sale to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, if those securities have been determined to be liquid by the Sub-Adviser under Board-approved guidelines. Those guidelines take into account the trading activity for the securities and the availability of reliable pricing information, among other factors. If there is a lack of trading interest in a particular Rule 144A security, holdings of that security may be considered to be illiquid.
Borrowing and Leverage.
The Fund has the ability to borrow money, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules or regulations thereunder or any exemption from the Act that applies to the Fund, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time. Currently, under the Investment Company Act, a mutual fund may borrow only from banks (for other than emergency purposes) and only to the extent that the value of the Fund's assets, less its liabilities other than borrowings, is equal to at least 300% of all borrowings including the proposed borrowing, except that it may also borrow up to 5% of its total assets for temporary or emergency purposes from any lender. Under the Investment Company Act, there is a rebuttable presumption that a loan is temporary if it is repaid within 60 days and not extended or renewed.
When the Fund borrows, it segregates or identifies securities on its books equal to 300% of the amount borrowed to cover its obligation to repay the loan. If the value of the Fund's assets fail to meet this 300% asset coverage requirement, it will reduce its borrowings within three days to meet the requirement. To do so, the Fund might have to sell a portion of its investments at a disadvantageous time.
When the Fund invests borrowed money in portfolio securities, it is using a speculative investment technique known as "leverage." If the Fund does borrow, its expenses may be greater than comparable funds that do not borrow. The Fund will pay interest on loans, and that interest expense may raise the overall expenses of the Fund and reduce its returns. In the case of borrowing for leverage, the interest paid on a loan might be more (or less) than the yield on the securities purchased with the loan proceeds. Additionally, the use of leverage may make the Fund's share prices more sensitive to interest rate changes and thus might cause the Fund's net asset value per share to fluctuate more than that of funds that do not borrow.
Loans of Portfolio Securities.
Securities lending pursuant to a Securities Lending Agency Agreement (the "Securities Lending Agreement") with Goldman Sachs Bank USA, doing business as Goldman Sachs Agency Lending ("Goldman Sachs"), may be used to attempt to increase income. Loans of portfolio securities must comply with all applicable regulations and with the Fund's Securities Lending Procedures adopted by the Board. The terms of any loans must also meet applicable tests under the Internal Revenue Code.
There are certain risks in connection with securities lending, including possible delays in receiving additional collateral to secure a loan, or a delay or expenses in recovery of the loaned securities. Goldman Sachs has agreed, in general, to guarantee the obligations of borrowers to return loaned securities and to be responsible for certain expenses relating to securities lending. Under the Securities Lending Agreement, the Fund's securities lending procedures and applicable regulatory requirements (which are subject to change), the Fund must receive collateral from the borrower consisting of cash, bank letters of credit or securities of the U.S. government (or its agencies or instrumentalities). On each business day, the amount of collateral that the Fund has received must at least equal the value of the loaned securities. If the Fund receives cash collateral from the borrower, the Sub-Adviser, in its capacity as the Fund's collateral administrator, may invest that cash in certain high quality, short-term investments, including in money market funds advised by the Manager. The Fund will be subject to its proportional share of the expenses of such money market funds, including the advisory fee payable to the Manager or its affiliate as adviser to such funds. The Sub-Adviser may charge a collateral administration fee of 0.08% on the value of cash collateral invested in other securities. All of the Fund's collateral investments must comply with its securities lending procedures. The Fund will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral, including the risk that the Fund may lose money on the investment or may fail to earn sufficient income to meet its obligations to the borrower.
The terms of the loans must permit the Fund to recall loaned securities on five business days' notice and the Fund will seek to recall loaned securities in time to vote on any matters that the Sub-Adviser determines would have a material effect on the Fund's investment. The Securities Lending Agreement may be terminated by either Goldman Sachs or the Fund on 30 days' written notice.
The Fund limits loans of portfolio securities to not more than 25% of its net assets.
Hedging.
The Fund can use hedging to attempt to protect against declines in the market value of the Fund's portfolio, to permit the Fund to retain unrealized gains in the value of portfolio securities which have appreciated, or to facilitate selling securities for investment reasons. To do so, the Fund could:
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buy puts on futures or on securities, or
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write covered calls on securities or futures. Covered calls can also be used to increase the Fund's income, but the Manager does not expect to engage extensively in that practice.
The Fund might use hedging to establish a position in the securities market as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities. In that case, the Fund would normally seek to purchase the securities and then terminate that hedging position. The Fund might also use this type of hedge to attempt to protect against the possibility that its portfolio securities would not be fully included in a rise in value of the market. To do so the Fund could:
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buy calls on such futures or on securities.
The Fund is not obligated to use hedging instruments, even though it is permitted to use them in the Manager's discretion, as described below. The Fund's strategy of hedging with futures and options on futures will be incidental to the Fund's activities in the underlying cash market. The particular hedging instruments the Fund can use are described below. The Fund may employ new hedging instruments and strategies when they are developed, if those investment methods are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and are permissible under applicable regulations governing the Fund.
Futures.
The Fund can buy and sell futures contracts that relate to (1) broadly-based stock indices (these are referred to as "stock index futures"), (2) an individual stock ("single stock futures"), (3) other broadly based securities indices (these are referred to as "financial futures"), (4) debt securities (these are referred to as "interest rate futures"), (5) foreign currencies (these are referred to as "forward contracts") and (6) commodities (these are referred to as "commodity futures").
Stock Index Futures.
A broadly-based stock index is used as the basis for trading stock index futures. In some cases an index may be based on stocks of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries. The buyer or seller of a stock index future is obligated to pay cash to settle the transaction, based on the fluctuation of the index's value in response to the changes in the relative values of the underlying stocks that are included in the index over the term of the contract. A stock index cannot be purchased or sold directly.
Single Stock Futures.
A single stock future obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take) cash or a specified equity security of an issuer to settle the futures transaction. Either party may also enter into an offsetting contract to close out the position. Single stock futures trade on a very limited number of exchanges, and contracts are typically not transferable between the exchanges.
Financial Futures.
Financial futures are based on the value of the basket of securities that comprise an index. These contracts obligate the buyer or seller to pay cash to settle the futures transaction, based on the fluctuation of the index's value in response to the change in the relative values of the underlying securities that are included in the index over the term of the contract. No delivery of the underlying securities is made to settle the futures contract. Either party may also settle the transaction by entering into an offsetting contract.
Interest Rate Futures.
An interest rate future obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take) cash or a specified type of debt security to settle the futures transaction. Either party could also enter into an offsetting contract to close out the position.
Commodity Futures.
Commodity futures may be based upon commodities within five main commodity groups: (1) energy, which includes crude oil, natural gas, gasoline and heating oil; (2) livestock, which includes cattle and hogs; (3) agriculture, which includes wheat, corn, soybeans, cotton, coffee, sugar and cocoa; (4) industrial metals, which includes aluminum, copper, lead, nickel, tin and zinc; and (5) precious metals, which include gold, platinum and silver. The Fund can purchase and sell commodity futures contracts, options on futures contracts and options and futures on commodity indices with respect to these five main commodity groups and the individual commodities within each group, as well as other types of commodities.
These futures transactions are effected through a clearinghouse associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded. No money is paid or received on the purchase or sale of a future. Upon entering into a futures transaction, the purchaser is required to deposit an initial margin payment for the futures commission merchant (the "futures broker"). The initial margin payment will be deposited with the custodian bank in an account, registered in the futures broker's name, that the futures broker can gain access to only under specified conditions. As the future is marked-to-market (that is, its value on the books is changed to reflect changes in its market value), subsequent margin payments, called variation margin, will be paid to or from the futures broker daily.
At any time prior to expiration of the future, the purchaser may elect to close out its position, at which time a final determination of variation margin is made and any cash in the margin account must be paid or released. The purchase then realizes any loss or gain on the futures transaction for tax purposes.
Put and Call Options.
Put options (sometimes referred to as "puts") give the holder the right to sell an asset for an agreed-upon price. Call options (sometimes referred to as "calls") give the holder the right to buy an asset at an agreed-upon price.
Selling Covered Call Options.
If the Fund sells ("writes") a call option, it must be "covered." That means that while the call option is outstanding, the Fund must either own the security subject to the call, or, for certain types of call options, identify liquid assets on its books that would enable it to fulfill its obligations if the option were exercised.
A call option on a security is an agreement by the seller to sell an underlying security to the call purchaser at a fixed price (the "exercise price") regardless of changes in the market price of that security during a call period. Call options are sold for a cash payment (a premium). The exercise price is usually higher than the price of the security at the time the call is sold. The seller bears the risk that the price of the underlying security may increase during the call period, requiring it to sell the security for less than the market value at the time. That risk may be offset to some extent by the premium the seller receives. If the market value of the security does not rise above the exercise price during the call period, the call generally will not be exercised. In that case the seller realizes a profit from the cash premium it received. Any such profits earned by the Fund are considered short-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes and are taxable as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders.
A call on a securities index is also sold for a cash premium. If the buyer exercises an index call option, the seller is required to pay an amount equal to the difference between the market value of the index and the exercise price, multiplied by a specified factor. If the value of the underlying index does not rise above the call price, it is unlikely that the call will be exercised. In that case the seller would keep the cash premium without being obligated to make any payments to the purchaser of the call.
The Fund's custodian bank, or a securities depository acting for the custodian bank, may act through the Options Clearing Corporation as the escrow agent for securities that are subject to a call option the Fund has sold. The Options Clearing Corporation will only release those securities when the call option expires or when the Fund enters into a closing transaction. No margin is required for those transactions.
When the Fund sells an over-the-counter ("OTC") call option, it will typically enter into an arrangement with a securities dealer which will establish a formula price at which the Fund will have the absolute right to repurchase that OTC option. The formula price will generally be based on a multiple of the premium received for the option, plus the amount by which the option is exercisable below the market price of the underlying security (that is, the amount that the option is "in the money"). When the Fund writes an OTC option, it will treat as illiquid (for purposes of its restriction on holding illiquid securities) the mark-to-market value of any OTC option it holds, unless the option is subject to a buy-back agreement by the executing broker.
To terminate its obligation on an OTC call it has written, the Fund can purchase a corresponding call in a "closing purchase transaction." If the Fund cannot effect a closing purchase transaction due to the lack of a market, it will have to hold the callable securities until the call expires or is exercised. The Fund will realize a profit or loss, depending upon whether the premium received on the call is more or less than the amount of the option transaction costs and the price of the call the Fund purchases to close out the transaction. The Fund may realize a profit if the call expires unexercised, because the Fund will retain both the underlying security and the premium it received when it wrote the call. Any such profits are considered short-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes and are taxable as ordinary income when distributed by the Fund.
A call on a futures contract may be sold without owning the futures contract or securities deliverable under the contract. To do so, at the time the call must be covered by identifying an equivalent dollar amount of liquid assets. If the value of the segregated assets drops below 100% of the current value of the future, additional liquid assets must be identified. Because of this requirement, in no circumstances would an exercise notice as to that future require delivery on a futures contract. It would simply create a short futures position, which is permitted by applicable hedging policies.
Up to 25% of the Fund's total assets may be subject to calls the Fund sells.
Selling Put Options
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A put option on a security or a securities index gives the purchaser the right, during the option period, to sell the underlying investment to the seller at the exercise price. When selling (writing) a put option on a security, the option must be covered by the Fund by identifying liquid assets with a value equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put option, to secure the obligation. In this case the Fund forgoes the opportunity to invest, sell or write calls against the identified assets.
The seller of a put is obligated to buy the underlying investment at the exercise price even if the market value of the investment falls below that price. If the price of the underlying investment remains higher than the exercise price, it is unlikely that a put option would be exercised. If a put option is not exercised, the seller would realize a gain of the amount of the premium received less the transaction costs incurred. If the put is exercised, the exercise price will usually exceed the market value of the underlying investment at that time. In that case, the seller could incur a loss. If the underlying investment is resold at that time, the loss would be equal to the exercise price and any transaction costs minus the amount of the premium received and the amount the seller received from the resale of the underlying investment. Settlement of a put on an index is in cash rather than by delivery of the underlying investment. Any profits earned by the Fund from writing put options are considered short-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes, and are taxable as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders.
The Fund will not write puts if, as a result, more than 50% of the Fund's net assets would be required to be identified on the Fund's books to cover such put options.
Purchasing Put Options.
A put on a security or securities index may be purchased by the Fund to attempt to protect against a decline (below the exercise price) in the value of the underlying investment. The purchaser pays a premium for the right to sell the underlying investment at a fixed exercise price during the put period. If the market price of the underlying investment remains above or equal to the exercise price, the put will generally not be exercised or resold and will become worthless on the expiration date. In that case the purchaser will have lost the amount it paid as a premium and not realize any benefit from the right to sell the underlying investment. If the purchaser resells a put prior to its expiration date, it may or may not realize a profit on that sale.
A put may also be purchased on an investment the buyer does not own. That would permit the purchaser to resell the put or to buy the underlying investment and sell it at the exercise price. If the market price of the underlying investment remains above or equal to the exercise price, the put would generally not be exercised and would become worthless on its expiration date.
Settlement of a put on a securities index is in cash rather than by delivery of the underlying investment. Gain or loss on the transaction would depend on the changes to the prices of the securities that make up the index.
The Fund may also buy a put on an investment it does not own. That would permit the Fund to resell the put or to buy the underlying investment and sell it at the exercise price. If the market price of the underlying investment remains above or equal to the exercise price, the put would not be exercised and would become worthless on its expiration date.
Purchasing Call Options
.
A call option may be purchased by the Fund to seek to benefit from an anticipated rise in a particular security or in a securities index. The purchaser pays a premium for a call option. The purchaser then has the right to buy the underlying investment during the call period at a fixed exercise price. The purchaser benefits only if, during the call period, the market price of the underlying investment rises above the exercise price plus the transaction costs and the premium paid for the call or if the call option is resold at a profit. If the purchaser does not exercise the call option or resell it (whether or not at a profit), the option becomes worthless on its expiration date. In that case the purchaser will have lost the amount it paid as a premium and not realized any gain on the transaction.
Settlement of a call on an index is in cash rather than by delivery of the underlying investment. Gain or loss on the transaction would depend on changes to the prices of the securities that make up the index.
The Fund may buy a call or put only if, after the purchase, the value of all call and put options held by the Fund will not exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets.
Buying and Selling Options on Foreign Currencies
.
Put and call options on foreign currencies include puts and calls that trade on a securities or commodities exchange or in the over-the-counter markets or that are quoted by major recognized dealers in such options.
If the value of a foreign currency rises against the U.S. dollar, the cost of securities denominated in that currency increases. The increased cost of those securities may be partially offset by purchasing calls or selling puts on the foreign currency. If the value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar falls, the dollar value of portfolio securities denominated in that currency would decline. That decline might be partially offset by selling calls or purchasing puts on the foreign currency. If the currency rate fluctuates in an adverse direction from the option position, however, the option premium payments and transaction costs would have been incurred without a corresponding benefit.
A call on a foreign currency could be sold to provide a hedge against a decline in the U.S. dollar value of a security denominated in that currency or in a different currency (known as a "crosshedging" strategy). A call on a foreign currency is "covered" if the Fund owns the underlying foreign currency covered by the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that foreign currency without additional cash consideration upon conversion or exchange of other foreign currency held in its portfolio. The Fund may also cover the option by maintaining identified cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid, high-grade debt securities in an amount equal to the exercise price of the option.
Risks of Derivatives and Hedging Instruments.
The use of derivatives and hedging instruments requires special skills and knowledge of investment techniques that are different than those required for normal portfolio management. These risks include the following:
Correlation Risk
. If the Fund sells futures or purchases puts on broadly-based indices or futures to attempt to protect against declines in the value of its portfolio securities, it may be subject to the risk that the prices of the futures or the applicable index will not correlate with the prices of those portfolio securities. For example, the market or the index might rise but the value of the hedged portfolio securities might decline. In that case, the Fund would lose money on the hedging instruments and also experience a decline in the value of the portfolio securities. Over time, however, the value of a diversified portfolio of securities will tend to move in the same direction as the indices upon which related hedging instruments are based.
The risk of imperfect correlation increases as the composition of the portfolio diverges from the securities included in the applicable index. To compensate for the imperfect correlation of movements in the price of the portfolio securities being hedged and movements in the price of the hedging instruments, the Fund might use a greater dollar amount of hedging instruments than the dollar amount of portfolio securities being hedged, particularly if the historical price volatility of the portfolio securities being hedged is more than the historical volatility of the applicable index.
Leverage Risk
. Premiums paid for options are small compared to the market value of the underlying investments. Consequently, options may involve large amounts of leverage, which could result in the Fund's net asset value being more sensitive to changes in the value of the underlying investments.
Futures Market Risk
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The ordinary differences between prices in the cash markets and the futures markets are subject to distortions, due to differences in the nature of those markets.
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Participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements that may cause investors to close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, distorting the normal market relationships.
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The liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion.
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Speculators may consider that deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities markets. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause price distortions.
Liquidity Risk.
Losses might also be realized if a position could not be closed out because of illiquidity in the market for an option. An option position may be closed out only on a market that provides secondary trading for options of the same series, and there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option.
Selection Risk.
If the Sub-Adviser uses an option at the wrong time or judges market conditions incorrectly, or if the prices of its options positions are not correlated with its other investments, a hedging strategy may reduce returns or cause losses. If a covered call option is sold on an investment that increases in value, if the call is exercised, no gain will be realized on the increase in the investment's value above the call price. A put option on a security that does not decline in value will cost the amount of the purchase price and without providing any benefit if it cannot be resold.
Transaction Costs
. Option activities might also affect portfolio turnover rates and brokerage commissions. The portfolio turnover rate might increase if the Fund is required to sell portfolio securities that are subject to call options it has sold or if it exercises put options it has bought. Although the decision to exercise a put it holds is within the Fund's control, holding a put might create an additional reason to purchase a security. There may also be a brokerage commission on each purchase or sale of a put or call option. Those commissions may be higher on a relative basis than the commissions for direct purchases or sales of the underlying investments. A brokerage commission may also be paid for each purchase or sale of an underlying investment in connection with the exercise of a put or call.
Foreign Currency Forward Contracts.
Foreign currency futures contracts are known as "forward contracts." They are used to buy or sell foreign currency for future delivery at a fixed price. They are used to "lock in" the U.S. dollar price of a security denominated in a foreign currency that the Fund has bought or sold, or to protect against possible losses from changes in the relative value of the U.S. dollar against a foreign currency. Although forward contracts may reduce the risk of loss from a decline in the value of the hedged currency, at the same time they limit any potential gain if the value of the hedged currency increases. Forward contracts are traded in the inter-bank market conducted directly among currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers.
Forward Contract Costs.
Because forward contracts are usually entered into on a principal basis, no brokerage fees or commissions are involved. Foreign exchange dealers do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they buy and sell various currencies. Thus, a dealer might offer to sell a foreign currency at one rate, while offering a lower rate for purchasing that currency. Because these contracts are not traded on an exchange, the credit and performance risk of the counterparty must also be evaluated.
Forward Contract Limitations.
The Fund will not enter into forward contracts or maintain a net exposure to such contracts if the consummation of the contracts would obligate the Fund to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of the value of the Fund's portfolio securities or other assets denominated in that currency (or another currency that is the subject of the hedge). However, the Fund can maintain a net exposure to forward contracts in excess of the value of the Fund's portfolio securities or other assets denominated in foreign currencies if the excess amount is "covered" by liquid securities denominated in any currency. As one alternative, the Fund could purchase a call option permitting the Fund to purchase the amount of foreign currency being hedged by a forward sale contract at a price no higher than the forward contract price. As another alternative, the Fund could purchase a put option permitting the Fund to sell the amount of foreign currency subject to a forward purchase contract at a price as high or higher than the forward contract price. The Fund could also cover its short positions by identifying assets on its books equal to the aggregate amount of the Fund's commitment under forward contracts or the excess amount of those obligations.
Forward Contract Risks.
The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult, and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain. The precise matching of the amounts under forward contracts and the value of the securities involved generally will not be possible because the future value of securities denominated in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements between the date a forward contract is entered into and the date it is sold. Forward contracts involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted, causing losses on those contracts and additional transaction costs. The use of forward contracts might reduce performance if there are unanticipated changes in currency prices.
Forward Contract Strategies.
Under a forward contract, the Fund agrees to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties. The transaction price is set at the time the contract is entered into. The costs of engaging in forward contracts varies depending on factors such as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing.
A forward contract might be used to provide for the purchase or sale of the amount of foreign currency involved in the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, or for dividend or interest payments that may be received in a foreign currency. This is called a "transaction hedge." The transaction hedge will protect against a loss from an adverse change in the currency exchange rates during the period between the date on which a security is purchased or sold or on which a payment is declared, and the date on which the payments are made or received. The use of forward contracts does not eliminate the risk of fluctuations in the prices of the underlying securities, but it does fix a rate of exchange in advance.
If it is anticipated that a foreign currency might suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, forward contracts to sell the foreign currency could be used to lock in the U.S. dollar value of portfolio positions. This is called a "position hedge." To try to protect against a substantial decline of the U.S. dollar against a foreign currency, a forward contract to buy that foreign currency for a fixed dollar amount could be used. Alternatively, the Fund could enter into a forward contract to sell a different foreign currency the Fund believes will fall whenever there is a decline in the U.S. dollar value of the currency in which portfolio securities are denominated.
In some cases, at or before the maturity of a forward contract, the Fund might sell a portfolio security and use the sale proceeds to make delivery of the currency. If the market value of the security is less than the amount of foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver, the Fund might have to purchase additional foreign currency on the "spot" (that is, cash) market to settle the security trade. If the market value of the security exceeds the amount of foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver, the Fund might have to sell some of the foreign currency on the spot market. There would be additional transaction costs for the spot market transactions in those cases.
Alternatively, the contractual obligation to deliver the currency may be offset by purchasing a second contract to obtain, on the same maturity date, the same amount of the currency as the currency obligation. Similarly, a forward contract purchase obligation may be closed out by entering into a second contract to sell the same amount of the same currency on the maturity date of the first contract. The gain or loss would be realized as a result of entering into such an offsetting forward contract under either circumstance. The gain or loss will depend on the extent to which the exchange rate or rates between the currencies involved moved between the execution dates of the first contract and the offsetting contract.
Interest Rate Swaps.
In an interest rate swap, the Fund and another party exchange their rights to receive interest payments on a security or payments based on a reference rate. For example, they might swap the right to receive floating rate payments based on a reference rate such as "LIBOR" for the right to receive fixed rate payments.
Interest rate swaps entail both interest rate risk and credit risk. There is a risk that based on movements of interest rates, the payments made by the Fund under a swap agreement will be greater than the payments it receives. Credit risk is the risk that the counterparty might default. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund may lose the net amount of contractual interest payments that it has not yet received.
The Fund can enter into swap transactions only on securities that it owns. The Fund will not enter into swaps with respect to more than 25% of its total assets. Also, the Fund will segregate liquid assets on its books to cover any amounts it may owe under swaps that exceed the amounts it is entitled to receive, and it will adjust that amount daily, as needed.
Total Return Swap Transactions.
The Fund can enter into total return swap agreements to gain exposure to the overall commodity markets. In a total return swap, the Fund will receive the price appreciation of a commodity index, a portion of the index, or a single commodity in exchange for paying an agreed-upon fee.
Swap agreements entail the risk that the counterparty might default on the contract. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund may lose any contractual payments that the Fund has not yet received. The Manager will monitor the creditworthiness of counterparties to the Fund's swap transactions on an ongoing basis.
A one-period swap contract operates in a manner similar to a forward or futures contract because there is an agreement to swap a commodity for cash at only one forward date. The Fund may also engage in swap transactions that have more than one period and therefore more than one exchange of assets. The Fund can enter into swap transactions with certain counterparties pursuant to master netting agreements. A master netting agreement provides that all swaps done between the Fund and that counterparty shall be regarded as parts of an integral agreement. On any date, amounts payable in the same currency to or from the Fund in respect to one or more swap transactions will be combined and the Fund will receive or be obligated to pay the net amount.
The master netting agreement may also provide that if a counterparty defaults on one swap, the Fund can terminate all of the swaps with that counterparty. The gains and losses on all swaps are netted, and the result is the counterparty's gain or loss on termination. The termination of all swaps and the netting of gains and losses on termination are generally referred to as "aggregation."
The Fund will only enter into total return swaps if consistent with its fundamental investment objectives or policies and not invest in swaps with respect to more than 30% of the Fund's total assets.
Asset Coverage for Certain Investments and Trading Practices
. The Fund will segregate with its custodian or otherwise designate on its books and records liquid assets in an amount the Fund believes to be adequate to ensure that it has sufficient liquid assets to meet its obligations under its derivatives contracts, or the Fund may engage in other measures to "cover" its obligations with respect to such transactions. Depending upon the contractual terms of the derivatives instrument, the customary settlement practice associated with the derivative instrument and the instrument's liquidity, among other things, the amounts that are segregated or designated may be based on the notional (or contract) amount of the derivative or on the daily mark-to-market obligation under the derivatives contract. These amounts may be reduced by amounts on deposit with the applicable broker or counterparty to the derivatives transaction. With respect to less liquid derivative instruments (or in other situations in which the Manager believes it necessary), the Fund may segregate amounts in addition to the amounts described above. By segregating or designating liquid assets equal to only the mark-to-market obligation under a derivatives contract, the Fund will have the ability to utilize these instruments to a greater extent than if the Fund segregated or designated liquid assets equal to the full market value of the underlying asset or the notional (or contract) amount of the instrument.
In certain circumstances, the Fund may enter into an offsetting position rather than segregating or designating liquid assets (e.g., the Fund may "cover" a written put option with a purchased put option with the same or higher exercise price). Although the Manager will attempt to ensure that the Fund has sufficient liquid assets to meet its obligations under its derivative contracts, it is possible that the Fund's liquid assets may be insufficient to support such obligations under its derivatives positions.
Segregating or designating a large percentage of the Fund's liquid assets could impede the Manager's ability to manage the Fund's portfolio. The Fund may modify its asset segregation policies from time to time.
Regulatory Aspects of Derivatives and Hedging Instruments.
As a result of recent amendments to rules under the Commodity Exchange Act ("CEA") by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"), the Manager must either operate within certain guidelines and restrictions with respect to the Fund's use of futures, options on such futures, commodity options and certain swaps, or be subject to registration with the CFTC as a "commodity pool operator" ("CPO") with respect to the Fund, and, upon the finalization of additional CFTC rules, be required to operate the Fund in compliance with certain disclosure, reporting, and recordkeeping requirements.
Previously, the CFTC permitted unlimited futures transactions and options thereon, so long as a fund had claimed an exclusion from registration as a CPO, and swap contracts were not formerly regulated by the CFTC. Under the amended rules, the investment adviser of a registered investment company may claim an exemption from registration as a CPO only if the registered investment company that it advises uses futures contracts, options on such futures, commodity options and certain swaps solely for "bona fide hedging purposes," or limits its use of such instruments for non-bona fide hedging purposes to certain de minimis amounts.
While the Manager will be registered as a CPO under the CEA, the Manager currently intends to limit the Fund's use of futures, options on such futures, commodity options and certain swaps in order to permit the Fund to continue to claim an exemption under the CFTC rules. As such, with respect to the management of the Fund, the Manager will not be subject to the disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping requirements under the CFTC rules.
Tax Aspects of Certain Derivatives and Hedging Instruments.
Futures contracts, non-equity options and certain foreign currency exchange contracts are treated as "Section 1256 contracts" under the Internal Revenue Code. In general, gains or losses relating to Section 1256 contracts are characterized as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses under the Internal Revenue Code. However, foreign currency gains or losses arising from Section 1256 contracts that are forward contracts generally are treated as ordinary income or loss. In addition, Section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of each taxable year are "marked-to-market," and unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized. These contracts also may be marked-to-market for purposes of determining the excise tax potentially applicable to the Fund and for other purposes under rules prescribed pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. An election can be made by the Fund to exempt those transactions from this mark-to-market treatment.
Certain forward contracts may result in "straddles" for federal income tax purposes. The straddle rules may affect the character and timing of gains (or losses) recognized on those positions. Generally, a loss sustained on the disposition of a position making up a straddle is allowed only to the extent that the loss exceeds any unrecognized gain in the offsetting positions. Disallowed loss is generally allowed at the point where there is no unrecognized gain in the offsetting positions making up the straddle, or the offsetting position is disposed of.
Under the Internal Revenue Code, the following gains or losses are treated as ordinary income or loss:
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gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates that occur between the time interest or other receivables are accrued or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are accrued and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities, and
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gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of a foreign currency between the date of acquisition of a debt security denominated in a foreign currency or foreign currency forward contracts and the date of disposition.
Currency gains and losses are offset against market gains and losses on each trade before determining a net "Section 988" gain or loss under the Internal Revenue Code for that trade, which may increase or decrease the amount of investment income available for distribution to its shareholders.
Temporary Defensive and Interim Investments.
In times of unstable or adverse market, economic or political conditions, or if the Sub-Adviser believes it is otherwise appropriate to reduce holdings in the Fund's principal investments, the Fund can invest in other types of securities for defensive purposes. It can also purchase these types of securities for liquidity purposes to meet cash needs due to the redemption of shares, or to hold while waiting to invest cash received from the sale of its shares or portfolio securities.
These temporary defensive investments can include: (i) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities; (ii) commercial paper rated in the highest category by an established nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) certificates of deposit or bankers' acceptances of domestic banks with assets of $1 billion or more; (iv) any of the foregoing securities that mature in one year or less (generally known as "cash equivalents"); (v) other short-term corporate debt obligations; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) shares of Oppenheimer Institutional Money Market Fund.
Investments in Other Investment Companies.
The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies. Investments in the securities of other investment companies can include open-end funds, closed-end funds, business development companies and unit investment trusts. Exchange-traded funds, which are typically open-end funds or unit investment trusts, are listed on a stock exchange. These investments may provide a way to gain exposure to segments of the equity or fixed-income markets represented by the exchange-traded fund's portfolio at times when it is not possible to buy those portfolio securities directly.
Investing in another investment company may involve paying a substantial premium above the value of that investment company's portfolio securities. The Fund does not intend to invest in other investment companies unless the Sub-Adviser believes that the potential benefits of an investment justify the expenses. As a shareholder of an investment company, the Fund would be subject to its ratable share of that company's expenses, including its advisory and administration expenses. Investments in other investment companies are subject to limits set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940.
The Fund does not anticipate investing a substantial amount of its net assets in shares of other investment companies.
Investment Restrictions
Fundamental Policies.
The Fund has adopted policies and restrictions to govern its investments. Under the Investment Company Act, fundamental policies are those policies that can be changed only by the vote of a "majority" of the Fund's outstanding voting securities, which is defined as the vote of the holders of the lesser of:
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67% or more of the shares present or represented by proxy at a shareholder meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present or represented by proxy; or
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more than 50% of the outstanding shares.
The Fund's investment objective is a fundamental policy. Other policies described in the Prospectus or this SAI are "fundamental" only if they are identified as such. The Fund's Board of Directors can change non-fundamental policies without shareholder approval. However, significant changes to investment policies will be described in supplements or updates to the Prospectus or this SAI, as appropriate. The Fund's most significant investment policies are described in the Prospectus.
Other Fundamental Investment Restrictions.
The following investment restrictions are fundamental policies of the Fund.
-
The Fund cannot issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules or regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.
-
The Fund cannot buy securities or other instruments issued or guaranteed by any one issuer if more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in securities or other instruments of that issuer or if it would then own more than 10% of that issuer's voting securities. This limitation applies to 75% of the Fund's total assets. The limit does not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies.
-
The Fund cannot invest 25% or more of its total assets in any one industry. That limit does not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies and instrumentalities or securities issued by investment companies.
-
The Fund cannot invest in real estate, physical commodities or commodity contracts, except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules or regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.
-
The Fund cannot underwrite securities of other issuers. A permitted exception is in case it is deemed to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933 in reselling its portfolio securities.
-
The Fund cannot make loans, except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules or regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom that is applicable to the Fund, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.
-
The Fund may not borrow money, except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules or regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom that is applicable to the Fund, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.
Non-Fundamental Restrictions.
The Fund has the following additional operating policies that are not "fundamental" and can be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.
-
The Fund cannot invest in securities of other investment companies, except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules or regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time. The Fund cannot invest in the securities of other registered investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on sub-paragraph (F) or (G) of Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act.
Unless the Prospectus or this SAI states that a percentage restriction applies on an ongoing basis, it applies only at the time the Fund makes an investment. That means the Fund is not required to sell securities to meet the percentage limits if the value of the investment increases in proportion to the size of the Fund. Percentage limits on borrowing and investments in illiquid securities apply on an ongoing basis.
For purposes of the Fund's policy not to concentrate its investments, described above, the Fund has adopted an industry classification that is not a fundamental policy.
Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings
While recognizing the importance of providing Fund shareholders with information about their Fund's investments and providing portfolio information to a variety of third parties to assist with the management, distribution and administrative processes, the need for transparency must be balanced against the risk that third parties who gain access to the Fund's portfolio holdings information could attempt to use that information to trade ahead of or against the Fund, which could negatively affect the prices the Fund is able to obtain in portfolio transactions or the availability of the securities that a portfolio manager is trading on the Fund's behalf.
The Fund, the Manager/Sub-Adviser, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent have therefore adopted policies and procedures regarding the dissemination of information about the Fund's portfolio holdings by employees, officers and directors or trustees of the Fund, the Manager, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent. These policies are designed to assure that non-public information about the Fund's portfolio securities holdings is distributed only for a legitimate business purpose, and is done in a manner that (a) conforms to applicable laws and regulations and (b) is designed to prevent that information from being used in a way that could negatively affect the Fund's investment program or enable third parties to use that information in a manner that is harmful to the Fund. It is a violation of the Code of Ethics for any covered person to release holdings in contravention of the portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures adopted by the Fund.
Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Policies.
The Fund, the Manager/Sub-Adviser, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent and their affiliates and subsidiaries, employees, officers, and directors or trustees, shall neither solicit nor accept any compensation or other consideration (including any agreement to maintain assets in the Fund or in other investment companies or accounts managed by the Manager or any affiliated person of the Manager) in connection with the disclosure of the Fund's non-public portfolio holdings. The receipt of investment advisory fees or other fees and compensation paid to the Manager/Sub-Adviser and its subsidiaries pursuant to agreements approved by the Fund's Board shall not be deemed to be "compensation" or "consideration" for these purposes. Until publicly disclosed, the Fund's portfolio holdings are proprietary, confidential business information. After they are publicly disclosed, the Fund's portfolio holdings may be released in accordance with the Fund's, the Manager's/Sub-Adviser's, the Distributor's and the Transfer Agent's policies and procedures regarding dissemination of information about the Fund's portfolio holdings.
-
Public Disclosure.
The Fund's portfolio holdings are made publicly available no later than 60 days after the close of each of the Fund's fiscal quarters in its annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in its Schedule of Investments on Form N-Q. Those documents are publicly available at the SEC. In addition, the Fund's portfolio holdings information, as of the end of each calendar month, may be posted and available on the Fund's website (at www.oppenheimerfunds.com) no sooner than 30 days after the end of each calendar month. The top 20 month-end securities holdings, listed by security or by issuer, may be posted on the OppenheimerFunds website with a 15-day delay. The Fund may delay posting its holdings, post a smaller list of holdings (e.g., the top 10 or top 15 portfolio holdings), or may not post any holdings, if the Manager/Sub-Adviser believes that would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Other general information about the Fund's portfolio investments, such as portfolio composition by asset class, industry, country, currency, credit rating or maturity, may also be publicly disclosed 15 days after the end of each calendar month.
The Fund's portfolio holdings information (which may include information on the Fund's entire portfolio of individual securities therein) positions may be released to the following categories of individuals or entities on an ongoing basis, provided that such individual or entity either (1) has signed an agreement to keep such information confidential and will not use such information in any way that is detrimental to the Manager, its affiliates and the Fund or (2) as a member of the Fund's Board, or as an employee, officer or director of the Manager, the Sub-Adviser, the Distributor, or the Transfer Agent, or of their legal counsel, is subject to fiduciary obligations (a) not to disclose such information except in compliance with the Fund's policies and procedures and (b) not to trade for his or her personal account on the basis of such information.
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Employees of the Fund's Manager, the Sub-Adviser, Distributor and Transfer Agent who need to have access to such information (as determined by senior officers of such entities);
-
The Fund's independent registered public accounting firm;
-
Members of the Fund's Board and the Board's legal counsel;
-
The Fund's custodian bank;
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A proxy voting service designated by the Fund and its Board;
-
Rating/ranking organizations (such as Lipper, Inc. and Morningstar, Inc.);
-
Portfolio pricing services retained by the Manager/Sub-Adviser to provide portfolio security prices;
-
Insurance companies that have separate accounts invested in Oppenheimer Variable Account Funds or Panorama Series Fund (to prepare their financial statements and analysis);
-
Brokers and dealers for purposes of providing portfolio analytic services;
-
Brokers and dealers in connection with portfolio transactions (purchases and sales); and
-
Brokers and dealers to obtain bids or bid and asked prices (if securities held by the Fund are not priced by the Fund's regular pricing services).
Month-end lists of the Fund's complete portfolio holdings may be disclosed for legitimate business reasons, no sooner than 5 days after the relevant month end, pursuant to special requests and under limited circumstances discussed below, provided that:
-
The third-party recipient must first submit a request for release of Fund portfolio holdings, explaining the business reason for the request;
-
Senior officers in the Manager's/Sub-Adviser's Investment Operations and Legal departments must approve the completed request for release of Fund portfolio holdings; and
-
Before receiving the data, the third-party recipient must sign a portfolio holdings non-disclosure agreement, agreeing to keep confidential the information that is not publicly available regarding the Fund's holdings and agreeing not to use such information in any way that is detrimental to the Manager, its affiliates and the Fund.
Portfolio holdings information (which may include information on the Fund's entire portfolio or individual securities therein) may be provided by senior officers of the Manager/Sub-Adviser or attorneys on the legal staff of the Manager, Distributor, or Transfer Agent, in the following circumstances:
-
Response to legal process in litigation matters, such as responses to subpoenas or in class action matters where the Fund may be part of the plaintiff class (and seeks recovery for losses on a security) or a defendant;
-
Response to regulatory requests for information (from the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"), state securities regulators, and/or foreign securities authorities, including without limitation requests for information in inspections or for position reporting purposes);
-
To potential sub-advisers of portfolios (pursuant to confidentiality agreements);
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To consultants for retirement plans for plan sponsors/discussions at due diligence meetings (pursuant to confidentiality agreements);
-
Investment bankers in connection with merger discussions (pursuant to confidentiality agreements).
Portfolio managers and analysts may, subject to the Manager's/Sub-Adviser's policies on communications with the press and other media, discuss portfolio information in interviews with members of the media, or in due diligence or similar meetings with clients or prospective purchasers of Fund shares or their financial representatives.
The Fund's shareholders may, under unusual circumstances (such as a lack of liquidity in the Fund's portfolio to meet redemptions), receive redemption proceeds of their Fund shares paid as pro rata shares of securities held in the Fund's portfolio. In such circumstances, disclosure of the Fund's portfolio holdings may be made to such shareholders.
Any permitted release of otherwise non-public portfolio holdings information must be in accordance with the then-current policy on approved methods for communicating confidential information.
The Chief Compliance Officer (the "CCO") of the Fund and the Manager/Sub-Adviser, Distributor, and Transfer Agent shall oversee the compliance by the Manager/Sub-Adviser, Distributor, Transfer Agent, and their personnel with applicable policies and procedures. At least annually the CCO reports to the Fund's Board any material violation of these policies and procedures during the previous period and makes recommendations to the Board as to any amendments that the CCO believes are necessary and desirable to carry out or improve these policies and procedures.
The Sub-Adviser and the Fund have entered into ongoing arrangements to make available information about the Fund's portfolio holdings. One or more of the Oppenheimer funds may currently disclose portfolio holdings information based on ongoing arrangements to the following parties:
13D Research
|
FTN Financial
|
Petercam Group
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1st Discount Brokerage
|
Furey Research Partners
|
Pipeline Trading Systems LLC
|
ABG Sundal Collier
|
Gabelli & Co.
|
Piper Jaffray Corp.
|
Access342
|
GARP Research & Securities Co.
|
Pivotal Research
|
ACP Securities
|
Gary Shillings
|
Portales Partners
|
Altus Investment Management
|
Gleacher & Company
|
R. Seelaus & Co. Inc.
|
Amba Research
|
Investment Company Institute
|
R.V. Kuhns & Associates, Inc.
|
Arbor Research & Trading
|
Global Hunter Securities
|
Ramirez & Co. Inc.
|
Avondale Partners
|
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
|
RBC Capital Markets
|
B. Riley & Co.
|
Greenstreet Advisers
|
Red Capital Markets
|
Baird & Co., Inc.
|
Griffin Securities
|
Redburn Partners
|
Banco Itau
|
Guggenheim Capital Markets
|
Renaissance Macro Research
|
Bank of America Securities LLC
|
Hapoalim Securities Bank USA
|
Rice Financial Products Co.
|
Barclays Capital
|
Hedgeye Risk Management
|
Risk Metrics Group
|
BarraOne
|
Height Analytics
|
Robert W. Baird & Co.
|
Barrington Research Associates
|
Herbert J. Sims & Co, Inc.
|
Rocaton Investment Advisors, LLC
|
BB&T Capital Markets
|
Hewitt Financial Services LLC
|
Rochdale Securities Corp.
|
Belle Haven Investments, Inc.
|
Howard Weil Inc.
|
Rodman & Renshaw, Inc.
|
Belton Enclave
|
HSBC Securities
|
Rogerscasey, LLC
|
Bergen Capital
|
India Infoline
|
Roosevelt & Cross
|
Blackrock, Inc.
|
Investec
|
Royal Bank of Scotland
|
Bloomberg L.P.
|
Inves1
|
Russell/Mellon Analytical Solutions
|
Blue Fin Research Group
|
ISI Group, Inc.
|
Samsung Securities Inc.
|
BMO Capital Markets
|
ITG - Majestic Research
|
Samuel A. Ramirez & Co. Inc.
|
Branch Bank & Trust Capital Markets
|
Janco Partners
|
Sander Morris Harris
|
Brean, Murray, Carret & Co.
|
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
|
Sandler O'Neill
|
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
|
Jefferies & Company
|
Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.
|
BTG, plc.
|
Jennifer Black & Associates
|
Scotia Capital Markets
|
Buckingham Research
|
JMP Securities
|
Seattle Northwest Securities
|
CA Cheuvreux
|
Johnson Rice & Co.
|
Sector & Sovereign LLC
|
Cabrera Capital Markets
|
JNK Securities Corp.
|
Securevest Financial
|
Callan Associates, Inc.
|
JP Morgan Chase Securities
|
SG Cowen
|
Calyon Securities Inc.
|
Kaufman Brothers
|
Sidoti & Co. LLC
|
Cambridge
|
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.
|
Siebert Brandford Shank & Co.
|
Canaccord Adams, Inc.
|
KeyBanc Capital Markets
|
Signal Hill Capital
|
Canaccord Genuity
|
Lazard Capital Markets
|
Simmons & Company
|
Capital One Southcoast
|
LCG Associates, Inc.
|
Societe Generale Group
|
Capstone LLC
|
Lebenthal & Co. LLC
|
Soleil Securities Corp.
|
Caris & Co.
|
Leerink Swann
|
Southwest Securties (SWS) Group, Inc.
|
Charter Equity Research
|
Liberium Capital
|
Standard Chartered Bank
|
China International Capital Corporation Limited
|
Lipper Inc.
|
State Street Bank & Trust Company
|
Cirrus Research
|
Longbow Research
|
Stephens, Inc.
|
Citigroup Global Markets
|
Loop Capital Markets
|
Sterne Agee & Leach Group
|
CL King & Associates
|
Louise Yamada Technical Research
|
Stifel Nicolaus & Co.
|
Cleveland Research Company
|
M&T Securities
|
Stone & Youngberg
|
CLSA Credit Agricole Securities
|
Macquarie Securities Inc.
|
Strategas Research
|
Collins Stewart Securities Inc.
|
Madison Williams and Company LLC
|
SunGuard Capital Corp.
|
Consumer Edge
|
Main First Bank AG
|
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey
|
Cornerstone Analytics
|
Maxim Group LLC
|
Susquehanna Financial Group
|
Cowen and Company, LLC
|
Mediobanca Securities USA LLC
|
SWS Group, Inc.
|
Craig-Hallum Capital Group
|
Medley Global Advisors
|
TD Asset Management Inc.
|
Credit Suisse Corp.
|
Merlin Securities
|
Telsey Advisory Group
|
Credit Suisse Securities LLC
|
Merrill Lynch & Company, Inc.
|
The Juda Group
|
Crews & Associates
|
Merriman, Curhan & Ford
|
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Inc.
|
Cross Current Research
|
Merrion Stockbrokers Ltd.
|
The Yieldbook Inc.
|
CRT Capital Group
|
Mesirow Financial
|
Think Equity Partners
|
D.A. Davidson & Company
|
MF Global Securities, Ltd.
|
Thomas Weisel
|
Dahlman Rose & Co.
|
Mirae Asset Financial Group
|
Thomson Reuters
|
Daiwa Securities
|
Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Inc.
|
Ticonderoga Securities
|
Davenport & Co.
|
Mizuho Securities USA, Inc.
|
Towers Watson
|
DeMarche Associates, Inc.
|
MKM Partners
|
Troika Dialog
|
Desert Mountain Properties LP
|
Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co.
|
Tudor, Pickering & Co. Securities, Inc.
|
Detwiler Fenton & Co.
|
Morgan Joseph TriArtisan LLC
|
UBS AG
|
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
|
Morgan Keegan & Company
|
US Bancorp
|
Discern Investment Analytics Inc.
|
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
|
Vermilion Capital
|
Dougherty & Co.
|
Morningstar, Inc.
|
Vertical Research Partners
|
Dowling & Partners Securities, LLC
|
Motilal Oswal Securities Ltd.
|
Vestmark, Inc.
|
Drexel Hamilton
|
MR Beal & Co.
|
Vining & Sparks
|
du Pasquier & Co.
|
M & T Securities
|
Vontobel Securities Ltd.
|
EFG Hermes
|
Multi-Bank Securities
|
Wachovia Securities Inc.
|
Emmet & Co., Inc.
|
Murphy & Durieu
|
Washington Analysis
|
Empirical Research Partners
|
Natexis Bleichroeder
|
Wedbush Morgan Securities
|
Encima Global
|
National Bank Financial
|
Wedge Securities LLC
|
Equity Research Associates
|
Ned Davis Research Group
|
Weeden Leuthold
|
Evaluation Associates LLC
|
Needham & Co., Inc.
|
Wells Fargo Securities
|
Evercore Partners Inc.
|
Noble Financial
|
WH Mell & Associates
|
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
|
Northcoast Research
|
William Blair & Co.
|
Feltl and Company
|
NY State Nurses Pension Fund
|
Wilshire Associates Inc.
|
Fidelity Brokerage Services
|
Nomura Securities International
|
WJB Capital
|
Fidelity Strategic Advisers
|
Oddo Securities Corporation
|
Wolfe Trahan Research
|
Fig Partners
|
Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.
|
Wunderlich Securities
|
First Analysis Securities Corp
|
Oscar Gruss & Sons
|
Zelman & Associates
|
FMS Bonds, Inc.
|
OTA-Off the Record Research
|
Ziegler Capital Markets Group
|
Fox-Pitt Kelton Inc.
|
OTR Global
|
|
Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co., Inc.
|
Pacific Crest Securities
|
|
|
|
|
How the Fund is Managed
Organization and History.
The Fund, a series of Oppenheimer Series Fund, Inc. (referred to as the "Trust"), is an open-end, diversified management investment company. The Trust was organized as a Maryland corporation in December 1981. The Manager became the Fund's investment adviser on March 18, 1996. Prior to March 18, 1996, the Trust's name was "Connecticut Mutual Investment Accounts, Inc." and the Fund's name was "Connecticut Mutual Growth Account." Prior to March 1, 2001, the Fund's name was "Oppenheimer Disciplined Value Fund."
Classes of Shares.
The Fund's Board of Directors (the "Board") is authorized, without shareholder approval, to:
-
create new series and classes of shares;
-
reclassify unissued shares into additional series and classes; and
-
divide or combine the shares of a class into a greater or lesser number of shares without changing the proportionate beneficial interest of a shareholder in the Fund.
The Fund currently has six classes of shares: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class N, Class Y and Class I. All classes invest in the same investment portfolio. Only certain retirement plans may purchase Class N shares. Each class of shares:
-
has its own dividends and distributions;
-
pays certain expenses which may be different for the different classes;
-
will generally have a different net asset value;
-
will generally have separate voting rights on matters in which interests of one class are different from interests of another class; and
-
votes as a class on matters that affect that class alone.
Each share of each class:
-
represents an interest in the Fund proportionately equal to the interest of each other share of the same class;
-
has one vote at shareholder meetings, with fractional shares voting proportionally;
-
may be voted in person or by proxy at shareholder meetings; and
-
does not have cumulative voting rights, preemptive rights or subscription rights.
Class B Share Availability.
Effective after June 29, 2012, Class B shares are no longer offered for new purchases. See the Prospectus section "More About Your Account" for details.
Class N Share Availability.
The types of retirement plans which may purchase Class N shares are:
-
Omnibus group retirement plans, including plans under Section 401(a), 401(k), 403(b) (other than plans for public school employees) and 457 of the Internal Revenue Code;
-
Rollover contributions and trustee-to-trustee transfers made to Single K plans (401(k) plans for self-employed individuals), IRAs (including SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs), Profit-Sharing Plans and Money Purchase Pension Plans;
-
Rollover contributions, contract exchanges and plan to plan transfers made to 403(b) Plans;
-
"Grouped Plans" that have entered into a special agreement with the Distributor;
"Grouped Plans" include any qualified or non-qualified retirement plan or account or deferred compensation plan for employees or other organized groups of persons, where all eligible members of the group purchase shares of an Oppenheimer fund or funds through a single investment dealer, broker or other financial institution if the group or the dealer, broker or other financial has made special arrangements with the Distributor. They may include 457 plans, IRAs and 403(b) plans (other than plans for public school employees).
Class Y Share Availability.
Class Y shares are offered to fee-based clients of dealers that have a special agreement with the Distributor to offer these shares, and to certain institutional investors who have a special agreement with the Distributor. Class Y shares are also offered to present or former officers, directors, trustees and employees (and their eligible family members) of the Fund, the Manager and its affiliates, its parent company and the subsidiaries of its parent company, and retirement plans established for the benefit of such individuals.
Voluntary Conversion to Class Y Shares
. For shareholders who currently hold other classes of Fund shares, but are authorized to purchase Class Y shares, those shareholders can convert their eligible existing shares to Class Y shares of the Fund either through their dealer who has a special agreement with the Distributor or by submitting written instructions to the Transfer Agent. Shares that are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") are not eligible to convert to Class Y shares until the applicable CDSC period has expired. Under current interpretations of applicable federal income tax law by the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS"), this voluntary conversion to Class Y shares is not treated as a taxable event. If those laws or the IRS interpretation of those laws should change, this voluntary conversion feature may be suspended.
Class I Share Availability.
Class I shares are not available directly to individual investors. They are only available to eligible institutional investors. To be eligible to purchase Class I shares, an investor must:
-
make a minimum initial investment of $5 million or more per account (waived for retirement plan service provider platforms);
-
trade through an omnibus, trust, or similar pooled account; and
-
be an "institutional investor" which may include corporations; trust companies; endowments and foundations; defined contribution, defined benefit, and other employer sponsored retirement plans; retirement plan platforms; insurance companies; registered investment advisor firms; registered investment companies; bank trusts; 529 college savings plans; and family offices.
No commission payments, account servicing fees, recordkeeping fees, 12b-1 fees, transfer agent fees, so called "finder's fees," administrative fees or other similar fees will be paid with respect to Class I shares. The Fund, at its discretion, reserves the right to waive the minimum initial investment and minimum balance requirements for investment companies advised or subadvised by the Manager or an affiliate of the Manager.
Voluntary Conversion to Class I Shares.
Shareholders who currently hold other classes of Fund shares but are eligible to purchase Class I shares can convert their eligible existing shares to Class I shares of the Fund either through their financial intermediary or by submitting an application to the Transfer Agent. Shares of another share class that are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, commission payments, account servicing fees, recordkeeping fees, 12b-1 fees, transfer agent fees, so called "finders fees," administrative fees or other similar fees are not eligible to convert to Class I shares. Under current interpretations of applicable federal income tax law by the Internal Revenue Service, this voluntary conversion to Class I shares is not treated as a taxable event. If those laws or the IRS interpretation of those laws should change, this voluntary conversion feature may be suspended.
Involuntary Conversion of Class I Shares
. If a Class I share account balance falls below $2.5 million, the investor will be notified that the account is below the required minimum balance. If the account remains below $2.5 million for more than six consecutive months after such notification, the account may be involuntarily redeemed or converted into a Class Y share account. This policy does not apply to accounts for which the minimum initial investment is waived.
Individual shareholders who purchase Class I shares through retirement plans or other intermediaries will not be eligible to hold Class I shares outside of their respective retirement plan or intermediary platform.
Shareholder Meetings.
Although the Fund is not required by Maryland law to hold annual meetings, it may hold shareholder meetings from time to time on important matters or when required to do so by the Investment Company Act or other applicable law. The shareholders have the right to call a meeting to remove a Director or to take certain other action described in the Articles of Incorporation or under Maryland law.
The Fund will hold a shareholder meeting when the Directors call a meeting or upon proper request from shareholders. If the Fund receives a written request to call a meeting for a specified purpose (which might include the removal of a Director), from the record holders of at least 25% of the outstanding shares eligible to be voted at a meeting, the Directors will call a shareholder meeting for that specified purpose. The Fund has undertaken that it will then either give the applicants access to the Fund's shareholder list or mail the applicants' communication to all other shareholders at the applicants' expense.