income securities (junk bonds)
with a primary focus on “B” rated high-yield securities.
In addition to junk bonds, the Portfolio may invest in other fixed income securities,
primarily loans, convertible bonds, preferred stocks and zero coupon and deferred
interest bonds. To a lesser extent, the Portfolio also may invest in U.S.
government securities, investment grade bonds and pay-in-kind bonds. The Portfolio may invest in
foreign securities and may make short-term investments.
The Portfolio may engage in frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment goal.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Portfolio
As with any mutual fund, there can be no assurance that the
Portfolio’s investment goal will be met or that the net return on an investment in the Portfolio will exceed what could have been obtained through other investment or savings vehicles. Shares of the Portfolio are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by any bank, government entity or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. If the value of the assets of the Portfolio goes down, you could lose money.
The following is a summary of the principal risks of investing in the Portfolio.
Bonds Risk. The value of your investment in the Portfolio may 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.
Junk Bonds Risk. The Portfolio may invest significantly
in junk bonds, which are considered speculative. Junk bonds carry a substantial
risk of default or changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness, or they may already be in
default at the time of purchase.
Interest Rate Risk. Fixed income securities may be subject to volatility due to changes in interest rates. The value of fixed-income securities may decline when interest rates go up or increase when
interest rates go down. The interest earned on fixed-income securities may
decline when interest rates go down or increase when interest rates go up.
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. For example, a bond with a duration of three years
will decrease in value by approximately 3% if interest rates increase by 1%.
Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in
heightened market volatility,
and could negatively impact the Portfolio’s performance. Any future changes in monetary policy made by central banks and/or their governments are likely to affect the level of interest
rates.
Credit Quality Risk. 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.
Loan Risk. Loans are subject to the credit risk of nonpayment of principal or interest. Economic downturns or increases in interest rates may cause an increase in defaults, interest rate risk and
illiquidity risk. Loans may or may not be collateralized at the time of acquisition, and any collateral may lack liquidity or lose all or substantially all of its value subsequent to
investment. In the event of bankruptcy of a borrower, the Portfolio could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing a
loan.
Foreign Investment Risk. The Portfolio’s investments in the securities of foreign issuers or issuers with significant exposure to foreign markets
involve additional risk. Foreign countries in which the Portfolio invests may have
markets that are less liquid, less regulated and more volatile than U.S. markets.
The value of the Portfolio’s investments may decline because of factors affecting the particular issuer as well as foreign markets and issuers generally, such as unfavorable
government actions, and political or financial instability and other conditions or
events (including, for example, military confrontations, war, terrorism,
sanctions, disease/virus, outbreaks and epidemics). Lack of relevant data and reliable public
information may also affect the value of these securities.
U.S. Government Obligations Risk. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or
guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored
instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. Government.
Call
Risk. The risk that an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on a debt obligation
(such as a mortgage-backed security or convertible security) that is held by the
Portfolio earlier than expected. This may happen when there is a decline in
interest rates. Under these circumstances, the Portfolio may be unable to recoup all