generally can be expected to
depress the value of an Underlying Portfolio’s non-U.S. dollar-denominated
securities.
Bonds Risk. The Portfolio invests in Underlying Portfolios that invest principally in bonds, which may cause the value of your investment in the
Portfolio to go up or down in response to changes in interest rates or defaults (or even the potential for future defaults) by bond issuers. Fixed income securities may be subject to
volatility due to changes in interest rates.
Credit Risk. Credit risk applies to most fixed income securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and
credit” of the U.S. Government. An Underlying Portfolio could lose money if
the issuer of a fixed income security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay
interest or to repay principal when it becomes due.
An issuer with a lower credit rating will be more likely than a higher rated issuer to default
or otherwise become unable to honor its financial obligations. Issuers with low
credit ratings typically issue junk bonds. In addition to the risk of default,
junk bonds may be more volatile, less liquid, more difficult to value and more susceptible to adverse economic conditions or investor perceptions than other bonds.
Interest Rate Risk. The Portfolio invests in Underlying Portfolios that invest substantially in fixed income securities. Fixed income securities may be subject to volatility due to changes in interest
rates. Duration is a measure of interest rate risk that indicates how price-sensitive a bond is to changes in interest rates. Longer-term and lower coupon bonds tend to be more
sensitive to changes in interest rates. Any future changes in monetary policy
made by central banks and/or their governments are likely to affect the level of interest rates.
Management Risk. The Portfolio is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. The Portfolio’s portfolio managers apply investment techniques and
risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there can be no guarantee that
these decisions or individual securities selected by the portfolio managers will produce the
desired results.
Issuer Risk. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and
services.
Derivatives Risk. A derivative is any financial instrument whose value is based on, and determined by, another security, index, rate or benchmark
(i.e., stock options,
futures, caps, floors, etc.). To
the extent a derivative contract is used to hedge another position in the Portfolio, the Portfolio will be exposed to the risks associated with hedging described below. To the
extent an option, futures contract, swap, or other derivative is used to enhance
return, rather than as a hedge, the Portfolio will be directly exposed to the
risks of the contract. Unfavorable changes in the value of the underlying security, index, rate or benchmark may cause sudden losses. Gains or losses from the Portfolio’s use of
derivatives may be substantially greater than the amount of the Portfolio’s investment. Certain derivatives have the potential for undefined loss. Derivatives are also associated
with various other risks, including market risk, leverage risk, hedging risk,
counterparty risk, valuation risk, regulatory risk, illiquidity risk and interest
rate fluctuations risk. The primary risks associated with the Portfolio’s use of derivatives are market risk, counterparty risk and hedging risk.
Hedging Risk. While hedging strategies can be very useful and inexpensive ways of reducing risk, they are sometimes ineffective due to unexpected
changes in the market. Hedging also involves the risk that changes in the value
of the related security will not match those of the instruments being hedged as expected, in which case any losses on the instruments being hedged may not be reduced. For gross currency hedges, there is
an additional risk, to the extent that these transactions create exposure to
currencies in which the Portfolio’s securities are not denominated.
Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a
counterparty to a security, loan or derivative held by the Portfolio becomes
bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties. The Portfolio may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other
reorganization proceeding, and there may be no recovery or limited recovery in such
circumstances.
Futures Risk. Futures are contracts involving the right to receive or the obligation to deliver assets or money depending on the performance of one or more underlying assets, instruments or a market or
economic index. A futures contract is an exchange-traded legal contract to buy or
sell a standard quantity and quality of a commodity, financial instrument, index, etc. at a specified future date and price. A futures contract is considered a derivative because it derives its value from the
price of the underlying commodity, security or financial index. The prices of
futures contracts can be volatile and futures contracts may lack liquidity. In addition, there may be imperfect or even negative correlation between the price of a futures contract and the price
of the underlying commodity, security or financial index.