•

Market risk – Portfolio securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political, or regulatory conditions, inflation, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment, public health issues, including widespread disease and virus epidemics or pandemics, war, terrorism or natural disasters, among others. Adverse market conditions may be prolonged and may not have the same impact on all types of securities.  The values of securities may fall due to factors affecting a particular issuer, industry or the securities market as a whole.

•

Emerging markets and less developed countries risk – Emerging market and less developed countries generally are located in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central and South America and Africa.  Investments in, or exposure to, securities that are tied economically to emerging market and less developed countries are subject to all of the risks of investments in, or exposure to, foreign securities, generally to a greater extent than in developed markets, among other risks.  Investments in securities that are tied economically to emerging markets involve greater risk from economic and political systems that typically are less developed, and likely to be less stable, than those in more advanced countries.  The Fund also will be subject to the risk of adverse foreign currency rate fluctuations.  Emerging market and less developed countries may also have economies that are predominantly based on only a few industries or dependent on revenues from particular commodities. The risks of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation of assets of non-U.S. issuers is also greater in emerging and less developed countries. As a result of these risks, investments in securities tied economically to emerging markets tend to be more volatile than investments in securities of developed countries.

•

China risk – The Chinese economy is generally considered an emerging market and can be significantly affected by economic and political conditions and policy in China and surrounding Asian countries. A relatively small number of Chinese companies represents a large portion of China’s total market and thus may be more sensitive to adverse political or economic circumstances and market movements. The economy of China differs, often unfavorably, from the U.S. economy in such respects as structure, general development, government involvement, wealth distribution, rate of inflation, growth rate, allocation of resources and capital reinvestment, among others. Under China’s political and economic system, the central government has historically exercised substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative regulation and/or state ownership. In addition, expropriation, including nationalization, repatriation of capital, confiscatory taxation, political, economic or social instability or other developments could adversely affect and significantly diminish the values of the Chinese companies in which the Fund invests. The Chinese securities markets are subject to more frequent trading halts and low trading volume, resulting in substantially less liquidity and greater price volatility. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.

•

Russia investment risk – During periods when sanctions are in place, such as the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war, there are risks related to holding positions located in or with ties to Russia. This may include, but is not limited to, the inability to dispose of securities in that country, the inability to settle securities transactions in that country, and the inability to repatriate currency from that country. Investments in sanctioned countries may be volatile, and the Fund and its pricing agent may have difficulty valuing such sanctioned securities. Absent sanctions prohibiting these investments, the Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities issued by companies located in Russia. Because of the underdeveloped state of Russia’s banking system and securities markets, settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions are subject to significant risks. With the implementation of the National Settlement Depository (“NSD”) in Russia as a recognized central securities depository, title to Russian equity securities is now based on the records of the NSD and not the registrars. Although the implementation of the NSD is generally expected to decrease the risk of loss in connection with recording and transferring title to securities, issues resulting in loss still might occur. In addition, issuers and registrars are still prominent in the validation and approval of documentation requirements for corporate action processing in Russia. Because the documentation requirements and approval criteria vary between registrars and/or issuers, there remain unclear and inconsistent market standards in the Russian market with respect to the completion and submission of corporate action elections. To the extent that the Fund suffers a loss relating to title or corporate actions relating to its portfolio securities, it may be difficult for the Fund to enforce its rights or otherwise remedy the loss.

•

Foreign securities risk – Investments in, or exposure to, foreign securities involve risks not typically associated with U.S. investments. These risks include, among others, adverse fluctuations in foreign currency values, possible imposition of foreign withholding or other taxes on income payable on the securities, as well as adverse political, social and economic developments, such as political upheaval, acts of terrorism, financial troubles, sanctions or the threat of new or modified sanctions, or natural disasters. Many foreign securities markets, especially those in emerging market countries, are less stable, smaller, less liquid, and less regulated than U.S. securities markets, and the costs of trading in those markets is often higher than in U.S. securities markets. There may also be less publicly available information about issuers of foreign securities compared to issuers of U.S. securities. In addition, the economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to issues such as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position.

•

Equity securities risk – Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company.  Stock markets are volatile, and equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed-income securities.  The price of equity or equity-related securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equity or equity-related securities.  The value of equity or equity-related securities purchased or held by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in decline or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate.  They may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.  In addition, they may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment.

•

Currency risk – Investments in foreign currencies, securities that trade in or receive revenues in foreign currencies, or derivatives that provide exposure to foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies may decline in value or, in the case of hedging positions, that the currency may decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and may be affected by a number of factors, such as the general economics of a country, the actions (or inaction) of U.S. and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation. A decline in the value of a foreign currency versus the U.S. dollar reduces the value in U.S. dollars of investments denominated in that foreign currency.

•

Passive investment risk – The Fund is not actively managed. Unlike with an actively managed fund, the Fund does not use techniques or defensive strategies designed to lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of market decline. This means that, based on market and economic conditions, the Fund’s performance could be lower than actively managed funds that realign their portfolios more frequently based on the real-time market trends.

•

Index investing risk – The Fund’s indexing strategy does not attempt to manage volatility, use defensive strategies, or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor stock performance.  Should the Fund engage in index sampling, the performance of the securities selected will not provide investment performance tracking that of the Index. Fund performance may not exactly correspond with the performance of the relevant index for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to: the timing of purchases and redemptions of the Fund’s shares, changes in the composition of the index, and the Fund’s expenses.  Certain regulatory limitations, such as fund diversification requirements, may limit the ability of the Fund to completely replicate an index.

•

Tracking error risk – Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences, differences in transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of dividends or interest, tax gains or losses, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. However, the Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the 1940 Act, as amended to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, applicable to regulated investment companies, or as a result of local market restrictions, or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates.

•

Liquidity risk – Investments in securities that are difficult to purchase or sell (illiquid or thinly-traded securities) may reduce returns if the Fund is unable to sell the securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector.  Liquidity risk arises, for example, from small average trading volumes, trading restrictions, or temporary suspensions of trading. To meet redemption requests, the Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

•

Concentration risk – The Fund may concentrate its investments in certain securities.  To the extent that the Fund focuses on particular countries, regions, industries, sectors, issuers, types of investment or limited number of securities from time to time, the Fund may be subject to greater risks of adverse economic, business or political developments in the area of focus than a fund that invests in a wider variety of countries, regions, industries, sectors or investments.

•

Counterparty risk – Transactions involving a counterparty are subject to the credit risk of the counterparty. A fund that enters into contracts with counterparties, such as repurchase or reverse repurchase agreements or derivatives contracts, or that lends its securities, runs the risk that the counterparty will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, files for bankruptcy, or otherwise experiences a business interruption, the Fund could suffer losses, including monetary losses, miss investment opportunities or be forced to hold investments it would prefer to sell. Counterparty risk is heightened during unusually adverse market conditions.

•

Depositary receipts risk – Depositary receipts, such as American depositary receipts ("ADRs"), global depositary receipts ("GDRs"), and European depositary receipts ("EDRs"), may be issued in sponsored or un-sponsored programs. They may be traded in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market or on a regional exchange, or may otherwise have limited liquidity. The prices of depositary receipts may differ from the prices of securities upon which they are based. In a sponsored program, a security issuer has made arrangements to have its securities traded in the form of depositary receipts.  In an un-sponsored program, the issuer may not be directly involved in the creation of the program. Holders of un-sponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of the facility. The depository usually charges fees upon deposit and withdrawal of the underlying securities, the conversion of dividends into U.S. dollars or other currency, the disposition of non-cash distributions, and the performance of other services.   Depositary receipts involve many of the same risks as direct investments in foreign securities.  These risks include: fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which are affected by international balances of payments and other economic and financial conditions; government intervention; and speculation.  With respect to certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political and social upheaval, and economic instability.  Investments in depositary receipts that are exchange traded or OTC may also subject the Fund to liquidity risk. This risk is enhanced in connection with OTC depositary receipts.

•

License termination risk – The Fund may rely on licenses from a third party (licensor) that permit the Fund to use that party’s intellectual property in connection with the Fund’s name and/or investment strategies.  The license may be terminated by the licensor, and as a result the Fund may lose its ability to use the licensed name or strategy, or receive important data from the licensor.  Accordingly, a license may have a significant effect on the future operation of the Fund, including the need to change the investment strategy.

•

Derivatives risk – Investments in derivatives, which are financial instruments whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of underlying assets, reference rates, or indices, can be highly volatile and may be subject to transaction costs and certain risks, such as unanticipated changes in securities prices and global currency investment.  Derivatives also are subject to leverage risk, liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, counterparty risk, and credit risk.  They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, interest rate or index. Gains or losses from derivatives can be substantially greater than the derivatives’ original cost.

•

Exchange-traded funds investing risk – An investment in an ETF generally presents the following risks:  (i) the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange-traded) that has the same investment objectives, strategies and policies; (ii) the risk that an ETF may fail to accurately track the market segment or index that underlies its investment objective; (iii) price fluctuation, resulting in a loss to the Fund; (iv) the risk that an ETF may trade at a discount to its net asset value; (v) the risk that an active market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; and (vi) the risk that an ETF may no longer meet the listing requirements of any applicable exchanges on which that ETF is listed. When the Fund invests in an ETF, shareholders of the Fund bear their proportionate share of the ETF’s fees and expenses as well as their share of the Fund’s fees and expenses.

•

Forward and futures contract risk – The successful use of forward and futures contracts draws upon the Sub-Adviser’s skill and experience with respect to such instruments and are subject to special risks including, but not limited to: (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the forward or futures contract; (b) possible lack of a liquid market for a forward or futures contract and the resulting inability to close a forward or futures contract when desired; (c) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (d) the Sub-Adviser’s inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; (e) the possibility that the counterparty, clearing member or clearinghouse will default in the performance of its obligations; and (f) if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements, and the Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

•

Clearance and settlement risk – Foreign securities markets have different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions. This risk may be magnified in emerging markets because settlement systems may be less organized, creating a risk that settlements may be delayed or lost because of failures or defects in such systems.

•

Securities lending risk – Securities lending involves the risk of loss or delays in recovery of the loaned securities or loss of rights in the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent.