an emerging market security or a currency
of an emerging market, such as a derivative instrument, rather than investing directly in emerging
market securities or currencies.
The average portfolio duration of this Fund varies based on PIMCO’s market forecasts and, under normal market conditions, is not expected to exceed two years. Duration is a
measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. In addition, the
dollar-weighted average maturity of the portion of the Fund’s portfolio comprised of short-term investments, under normal circumstances, is expected not to exceed three years.
The Fund may invest in both investment-grade securities and high yield securities (“junk bonds”)
subject to a maximum of 15% of its total assets in securities rated below B by Moody’s Ratings (“Moody’s”), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings,
Inc. (“Fitch”), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. In the event that ratings services assign different ratings to the same security, PIMCO will use the highest rating as the credit rating for that
security.
The Fund may invest, without limitation, in derivative
instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or
asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the
Fund’s prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may also
invest directly in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase
and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The “total return” sought by the Fund consists of income and capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises
from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation, or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.
The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.
It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are listed below.
Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will fluctuate in value because of a change in interest rates; a fund
with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than
a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. Factors such as government policy, inflation, the economy, and market for bonds can impact interest rates and yields
Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a
call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons
including declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and
improvements in the issuer’s credit
quality. If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment or may not realize the full anticipated earnings from the investment and may be
forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features
Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could experience losses if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the
counterparty to a derivative contract, or the issuer or guarantor of collateral, is unable or
unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or
otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to meet its financial obligations
High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as
“junk bonds”) are subject to greater levels of market, credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative by rating agencies with respect to the
issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and their values may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity
Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably,
due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries
Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for reasons related to the issuer, such as management
performance, changes in financial condition or credit rating, financial leverage, reputation or
reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services
Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to
sell investments at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a
certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or
other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal,
causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity
Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as forwards, futures, options, swaps and structured
securities) and other similar investments, including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market,
counterparty (including credit), operational, legal and management risks, and valuation
complexity. Changes in the value of a derivative or other similar investment may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than
the initial amount invested. Changes in the value of a derivative or other similar instrument may
also create margin delivery or settlement payment obligations for the Fund. The Fund’s use
of derivatives or other similar investments may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund’s returns and/or increased volatility. Non-centrally-cleared over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives or other similar
investments are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual